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A BOYS 1 LIFE OF 
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 




Symbolic Group Erected at Tuskegee Institute (1922). 



A BOYS' LIFE 

OF 

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 



BY 



W. C. JACKSON 

Vice President of the North Carolina College for Women, 
Greensboro, and Professor of History 



NEW YORK 

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

1922 

All rights reserved 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



•WZ45" 



Copyright, 1922, 
By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 



Set up and electrotyped. Published June, 1922 



f * 







(j[0 



JUL 26 '22 
CU68110Q 

1 



PREFACE 

The single aim in telling the story that follows is 
to interest boys in the life of Booker T. Washington. 

This man's life was of such singular and vital 
importance in the history of his own race and in 
the history of our country that it ought to be 
familiar to all the youth of the land, and to the 
negro youth especially, since it is the greatest 
inspiration to the latter to be found in the annals 
of American history. 

There has been no attempt to be original or 
exhaustive in the treatment. While a great mass 
of material has been consulted, it should be frankly 
stated that the story follows very closely the 
material found in Washington's 'Up from Slav- 
ery" and "My Larger Education' and Scott and 
Stowe's "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a 
Civilization." 

The author desires to acknowledge his indebted- 
ness to Doubleday, Page and Company for permis- 
sion to use extensive quotations from these books. 

If some boy by reading this book is inspired to 
higher ambition and encouraged to nobler effort, 
the author will feel that the book is fully justified. 



FOREWORD 

This is the story of Booker T. Washington. 
It is the story of a boy who was born a slave and 
who in manhood became the leader of ten million 
people; who was born in poverty and ignorance 
and became the greatest orator and teacher of 
the negro race; who was born of an ignorant and 
backward race and became the friend of the 
greatest and best men of all races of all the world. 

.He was a brave man. He had courage and 
backbone. He was not afraid. He had courage 
to fight for what he believed to be the right. 

He was an energetic man. There was not a lazy 
bone in him. No man ever lived a more strenuous 
life than he did. He loved his work; and few 
other men ever did so much work in a lifetime. 

He was just and fair-minded. He could see right 
for the white man as well as for the negro. He 
never intentionally did any one, white or black, 
an injustice. 

He was an honest man; honest in his thinking 
as well as in his business; honest, frank, and open 
in his speeches and his writings. He looked facts 
squarely in the face. 

He was a wise man. He had intelligence. He 
had good judgment. He knew the right thing to 
do and to say, and he did it and said it. 

vii 



viii FOREWORD 

He was a modest man. He did not boast or 
brag. He did not try to get money or office or 
high position. He was content to do his work as 
an honest man. 

He was a patriotic man. He loved his country and 
believed this to be the greatest nation in the world ; 
and he was ready to give his life for it if necessary. 

He had will power. He made up his mind about 
things, and, when he had made a decision, he could 
not be discouraged nor turned aside. He would 
see his plans through, and he would stand by his 
convictions to the last. 

He had self-control. He did not lose his temper 
or his tongue. He kept himself in hand. He did 
not lose his head or waste his time and thought 
and effort on useless and needless things. 

He was a great lover of animals. He loved the 
pigs and the chickens, the horses and the dogs, the 
birds and the fishes, and every living thing. 

Above all he loved folks. He loved the people 
of all races. He was a friend not only to the black 
man but likewise a friend to the red man, the yel- 
low, the brown, and the white. 

He loved his race. He was not ashamed of it. 
He was proud of its history; of its great achieve- 
ments in the past. He had an abounding con- 
fidence in its future. He believed that in the days 
that lie ahead the negro race is to play a wonder- 
ful part. 

It is well worth while to know about this man. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Early Childhood i 

II. Boyhood Days 9 

III. Planning for an Education 14 

IV. School Days at Hampton 22 

V. Beginning Life in the Outside World . 33 

VI. Back at Hampton 40 

VII. Building a Great School 45 

VIII. Strenuous Days 56 

IX. Raising Money for Tuskegee .... 67 

X. Making Speeches 76 

XI. Success as Educational Leader .... 88 

XII. Leading His People 105 

XIII. Political Experiences 112 

XIV. Visits to Europe 118 

XV. Booker T. Washington: The Man . 129 



IX 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Symbolic Group Erected at Tuskegee Institute 

(1922) Frontispiece 

Founder's Day Drill at Tuskegee 6 

Cabinetmaking at Tuskegee 23 

Booker T. Washington as a Hampton Graduate 

(1875) 24 

Booker T. Washington's Class (1875) AT Hampton 

Institute 31 

Tuskegee's First Group of Buildings .... 51 

A Sunday Afternoon Band Concert on the Campus 58 

Automobile and Buggy Trimming at Tuskegee . . 61 

Class in Physical Training at Tuskegee ... 65 
White Hall; Chapel; Tatum Hall, Tuskegee 

Institute 69 

John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital, Tuskegee 

Institute 72 

Class in Photography, Tuskegee Institute . . 74 
Chemistry Class, Tuskegee Academic Depart- 

ment 89 

Truck Gardening, Tuskegee Institute ... 92 

Domestic Science Class at Tuskegee .... 95 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi 



PAGE 



The Students' Band oe a Rural School ... 99 
Tailoring Division, Tuskegee Institute . . . 10 1 
Booker T. Washington, First Principal of Tuske- 
gee Institute 119 

Booker T. Washington and His Family . . . 132 
Robert Russa Moton, Successor to Booker T. 

Washington at Tuskegee 139 

Booker T. Washington and His Grandchildren . 141 



A BOYS' LIFE OF 
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

CHAPTER I 

EARLY CHILDHOOD 

No state in the Union has a more interesting 
history than Virginia. It is the oldest of the 
states. It was at Jamestown in 1607 that the 
first permanent English settlement was made in 
America. Before the Revolution, it shared with 
Massachusetts the honor of being the leading 
colony. During the time of the Revolution, it 
furnished some of America's greatest leaders - 
Washington, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson. 
After the Revolution, it became known as the 
"Mother of Presidents." Most of the battles of 
the Civil War were fought on its soil, and its capital 
was the capital of the Confederacy. Lee and 
Jackson, the two greatest leaders of the Confed- 
eracy, were Virginians. 

It was in this state that slavery in North America 
began. We must remember, however, that slavery 
had been in existence a long, long time. The 
ancient Hebrews, we are told in the Old Testament, 
practiced this evil custom. So did all the nations 



2 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

about Palestine. The Greeks and the Romans 
also kept slaves. We must not think of the 
people that were enslaved by the Hebrews and 
Greeks and Romans as negroes. They were of all 
races. Whenever one people conquered another, 
it mattered not of what race, the conquerors made 
their captives slaves. This often resulted in the 
most cultured and highly educated people being 
made slaves. This was especially the case when 
the Romans captured Greeks. 

Later on in the history of Europe, during the 
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the enslave- 
ment of negroes became very general, so that, 
by the time North America began to be settled 
by the people from Europe, negro slaves were 
bought and sold throughout the principal European 
countries and their colonies. 

So it came about that, in Virginia, pegro slavery 
was introduced into the United States. It was in 
1 619 that a Dutch ship, after a cruise in the West 
Indies, landed at Jamestown, and while there, 
engaging in trade with the inhabitants, sold them 
nineteen negroes. These were the first slaves sold 
in North America, and it was from this beginning 
that the system grew up in the country. 

In Virginia too we had the first big plantations. 
Tobacco was the most important crop in the early 
history of the colony. The planters could sell 
tobacco at a great profit in England. Negro 
slaves could cultivate tobacco very successfully. 



EARLY CHILDHOOD 3 

The planters, therefore, bought slaves to raise 
tobacco, and they sold the tobacco and bought 
more slaves to raise more tobacco. The planters 
bought many hundreds of acres of land and many 
slaves to cultivate them. As you know, the slaves 
lived in cabins. These cabins were little houses, 
usually built of logs, and the cracks were daubed 
with mud. The cabin usually had one door, one 
window, and a dirt floor only. These cabins were 
all close together, not very far from the "big 
house,' and were known as the " quarters. ' 

The slaves did all the work on the plantation. 
Most of them worked in the fields. Some worked 
about the barn and in the garden. One drove the 
master's carriage and took care of the horses. 
Another was the butler in the "big house. " Some 
of the small boys and girls also worked in the 
"big house," serving their young masters and 
mistresses. And, of course, one of the negro women 
was the plantation cook. 

On just such a plantation down in Franklin 
County, Virginia, Booker T. Washington was 
born. His mother was the cook on the plantation 
of a Mr. Burroughs who lived near a little cross- 
roads post office, southwest of Lynchburg, called 
Hales' Ford. There, in a little one-room cabin, 
Booker was born on April 5, 1856. The cabin 
had no glass windows. It had only one door, 
and it had a dirt floor. There were large cracks 
that let in the cold. In the middle of the floor 



4 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

there was a large opening in the ground in which*' 
sweet potatoes were stored. Sometimes as they 
put. the potatoes in or took them out, Booker got 
one or two and roasted them. All of the cooking 
was done over the open fire in this cabin, for they 
had no stove. It was a very uncomfortable place 
in which to live. 

The boy lived a hard life. He says: "I cannot 
remember a single instance during my childhood 
or early boyhood when our entire family sat down 
to the table together, and God's blessing was asked, 
and the family ate a meal in a civilized manner. 
It was a piece of bread here, and a scrap of meat 
there. It was a cup of milk at one time and some 
potatoes at another." 1 

One day, when he was about five years old, he 
saw his young mistress and some visitors out in 
the yard eating ginger cakes. He said he never 
saw anything in his life that looked so good to him 
as those cakes did; and he thought that, if he ever 
got free, the height of his ambition would be to 
buy all the ginger cakes he wanted, just like those 
the young ladies were eating. 

He had to sleep on a pallet. He never slept 
in a bed until after he was set free. The first pair 
of shoes he ever had was made of leather, but the 
soles were of wood, and they were very uncom- 
fortable and made a great noise when he walked. 
He never thought of wearing anything on his head. 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 9. 



EARLY CHILDHOOD 5 

But the worst thing about his dress in those early 
days was having to wear a flax shirt. These shirts 
were made of the roughest and coarsest part of the 
flax, and they were very uncomfortable. When 
new, they scratched severely. After they were 
worn awhile and 'broken in," they were fairly 
comfortable. His brother John often u broke in" 
Booker's shirts for him, a very kind and generous 
thing to do. 

He had no time to play when he was a boy. 
When he was a grown man, he was asked what 
games he played when he was a boy, and he 
answered that he had never played at all. He had 
to work so hard that no time was left for play. 
Even when he was a very small boy, he had to 
sweep the yards, carry water to the hands in the 
fields, help around the "big house," and carry in 
wood. Going to mill was the worst job he had. 
A farm hand would put a sack of corn on a horse, 
put him on top of the sack, and send him off. Ic 
was a long way to the mill. Almost every time 
lie was sent, the sack of corn would work to one 
side and then fall off. It was too heavy for him to 
put back; so he would have to wait until some 
one came along to help him. He sat and cried until 
some one came. It was often dark when he got 
home. He was terribly frightened when he was 
alone at night, for he was told that there were 
deserting soldiers in the woods, and that when 
they found little negro boys the first thing they 



6 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

would do would be to cut off their ears. Of course 
this was not true, but he thought it was. 

Do you suppose this little boy had any chance 
to go to school? This is what he says: "I had no 
schooling whatever while I was a slave, though I 
remember on several occasions I went as far as 
the schoolhouse door with one of my young mis- 




Founder's Day Drill at Tuskegee 

tresses to carry her books. The picture of several 
boys and girls in a schoolroom engaged in study 
made a deep impression upon me, and I had the 
feeling that to get into a schoolhouse and study 
in this way would be about the same as getting 
into paradise." : This is the same boy who came 
to be the greatest educator of his race; the head 
of the greatest negro school in the world. 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, pp. 6-7. 



EARLY CHILDHOOD 7 

It must be remembered that the conditions 
under which Booker lived in these early years of 
his life were not restricted entirely to the negroes. 
Many of the white people were poor also, and many 
white boys wore flax shirts and shoes with wooden 
soles. Just after the Civil War, especially, all 
the white people of the South had a very hard time. 
White boys as well as negro boys had no time for 
play. Nor did they have an opportunity to go to 
school. In those days many white boys who were 
eager for an education had such difficulties to face 
as those which loomed up before Booker Wash- 
ington. 

By and by, when Booker was about nine years 
of age, there came a thrilling day. For four long 
years the great war had been going on. Often he 
had heard his mother singing freedom songs. He 
remembered being awakened one morning and 
saw his mother by his bed and heard her praying 
that Lincoln might be successful, and that her 
little boy might some day be free. He had. seen 
some of the soldiers in their uniforms, home on 
furlough. He remembered when they brought 
home the body of "Marse Billy" and buried him 
amidst the bitter weeping of the slaves, who loved 
him as their friend, for he had often begged for 
them when they were about to be punished. While 
they vaguely knew and felt that the success of 
Lincoln meant freedom, and the success of the 
others meant slavery, they were still loyal and 



8 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

true to their masters. By means of the "grape 
vine telegraph," that is, by passing news along 
quickly from one plantation to another, the slaves 
had kept pretty well informed of the progress of 
the war, and when Lee surrendered at Appomat- 
tox, the slaves knew it very soon. 

One night word came to the " quarters" that 
something very unusual would happen at the ' ' big 
house" the next day. There was much excite- 
ment. Nobody slept that night. Early next 
morning some one came to the quarters and told 
the negroes that they were all wanted at the house. 
Booker's mother called her children, and they with 
all the other slaves marched up to the house. All 
the members of the family were on the porch. 
They were very quiet and seemed sad and de- 
pressed. There was present a stranger, a man who 
wore a uniform. He stood up and read a paper - 
"The Emancipation Proclamation." Then the 
master explained that the negroes were now free. 
He told them that they could go wherever they 
desired. He also told them that they could live 
where they were if they wanted to, and they would 
be taken care of; but if they preferred, they could 
go to any other place. Booker's mother leaned 
over her children and kissed them while the tears 
streamed down her face. Her prayers had been 
answered. Her children were free. 



CHAPTER II 

BOYHOOD DAYS 

When the slaves were set free, one of the first 
things that many of them did was to change their 
names. Most of the slaves had only one name. 
As free people they felt that they should have the 
same sort of names as other free people; so they 
began to add a last name, and usually an initial. 
If a man had been called "Tom" all his life, he 
was now called "Tom L. Johnson." The "L" 
stood for nothing. It was simply a part of his 
"entitles," as Washington says. Another thing 
they did was to leave their old home place. They 
could not realize that they were really free unless 
they tested the matter by going away from the 
place of their servitude. 

Booker Washington's stepfather had left Vir- 
ginia during the war and had gone to West Vir- 
ginia. Just as soon as the war was over, he sent 
for his wife and children to come to him in West 
Virginia. 

He lived at Maiden, five miles from Charleston, 
the capital of the state. It was several hundred 
miles from the old home in Virginia, but the 
family determined to go. They bundled up their 
goods and put them in a cart, the children walking. 
They traveled the entire distance in this way. 

9 



io BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

They would stop by the roadside to do their cook- 
ing and to camp at night. 

One night they stopped near an empty cabin. 
They decided to spend the night in the cabin. 
They went in and built a fire and spread a pallet 
on the floor. Suddenly a big black snake rolled 
down out of the chimney and on to the pallet. 
You can imagine that they did not care to stay 
longer in that house. They got outside at once 
and made a camp. 

After several weeks, they completed their jour- 
ney, and the family reached the town of Maiden. 
Salt was mined there, and Booker's stepfather 
worked in the salt furnaces. Small as he was, 
Booker had to begin this work too. It was very 
hard work, and it was terrible that this child 
should be compelled to do it. But it was just like 
Booker to turn the situation to an advantage. 
The first thing he ever did in the way of reading 
was to learn the figure " 18," which was the num- 
ber put on the barrels of salt made by his father. 
Booker was anxious to learn to read; but he had 
no one to teach him. His own mother could not 
even teach him his letters. She bought him an 
old Webster's " blue-back" speller, and he began 
his first study in this book. 

About this time a private school was established 
in the community. Booker was greatly excited 
over this, for he had an overwhelming desire to go 
to school. He was a good worker, however, and 



BOYHOOD DAYS n 

was earning money; so his father said "no," and 
he could not go. Booker was terribly disappointed. 
He went on with his work with a heavy heart, 
but he never missed a chance to urge his step- 
father to let him go to school. Finally, his father 
agreed to let him go for a part of the day, pro- 
vided he would get up early each morning and work 
until nine o'clock and then work two hours after 
school was out. 

It was a glorious day for him when he found 
himself going to school. However, he soon en- 
countered two great difficulties. One was that he 
did not have a hat. He had never worn a hat or 
cap in his life. Since all the other boys had them, 
he felt that he must have one. So he went home 
and told his mother about the situation. She 
explained to him that she had no money with 
which to buy a "store" hat, but she got two old 
pieces of "homespun" or jeans, and sewed them 
together for a cap. The next day Booker proudly 
walked to school with one difficulty solved. 

Listen to his own story of his second difficulty: 
"My second difficulty was with regard to my 
name, or rather a name. From the time I could 
remember anything I had been called simply 
'Booker.' Before going to school it had never 
occurred to me that it was needful or appropriate 
to have an additional name. 

"When I heard the school roll called, I noticed 
that all the children had at least two names, and 



\2 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

some of them indulged in what seemed to me the 
extravagance of having three. I was in deep per- 
plexity^, because I knew that the teacher would 
demand of me at least two names, and I had only 
one. By the time the occasion came for the en- 
rolling of my name, an idea occurred to me which 
I thought would make me equal to the situation; 
and so, when the teacher asked me what my full 
name was, I calmly told him 'Booker Washing- 
ton,' as if I had been called by that name all my 
life; and by that name I have since been known. 

" Later in my life I found that my mother had 
given me the name of 'Booker Taliaferro' (pro- 
nounced Tol-li-ver) soon after I was born, but in 
some way that part of my name seemed to dis- 
appear, and for a long while was forgotten, but as 
soon as I found out about it, I revived it and made 
my full name 'Booker Taliaferro Washington.' 
I think there are not many men in our country 
who have had the privilege of naming themselves 
in the way that I have." l 

Booker was not permitted to go to school very 
long. His stepfather put him back to work but he 
went to school at night for a while. Here he learned 
how valuable the nighttime was, and he after- 
wards used it a great deal in teaching others. 

Near Maiden was a coal mine. This business 
became prosperous, and Booker was sent to work 
in the coal mines. He hated this work worse than 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, pp. 34-35. 



BOYHOOD DAYS 13 

any he ever did. The work was very dirty. It 
was pitch dark in the mines. It was also very 
dangerous, for they used dynamite to blast out 
the coal. His work was a mile from the entrance 
of the mine. Furthermore, there were many big 
rats in the place. Because there were many large 
chambers to the mine and he never could learn all 
of them, he often got lost. Then his light would 
go out, and sometimes he would have to wait for 
hours for some one to come to his aid. This was 
terrible work for a boy only ten or twelve years 
of age. 



CHAPTER III 

PLANNING FOR AN EDUCATION 

Later in life Washington said : " There was never 
a time in my youth, no matter how dark and dis- 
couraging the days might be, when one resolve did 
not continually remain with me, and that was to 
secure an education at any cost." 1 

This was the thought that was in his mind as he 
toiled from day to day in the dark and dirty coal 
mine. He had never heard of any school except 
the little one he had attended for a short time in 
Maiden. But he was sure that somewhere and 
in some way he would find a place that would give 
him what he so much desired. 

One day, while digging away in the mine, he 
heard a miner say something to another about a 
big school for negroes. He was greatly excited 
and on his hands and feet he crept through the 
dark, as close to the two men as he dared, and 
listened. They kept on talking and Booker heard 
a conversation something like this: "I wish my 
boy could go to that school over in Virginia," said 
one miner. "They say it is the best school any- 
where in the country." 

"What school are you talking about?" said the 
other. 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 37. 

14 



PLANNING FOR AN EDUCATION 15 

"The one at a place called Hampton, over in 
Virginia," was the reply. 

"Well, suppose there is a good school there; 
negro boys can't go to it, can they?' was asked. 

"Yes, they can," said the other. " It is a school 
just for negro boys and girls, and they teach the 
boys and girls something besides books, too. They 
are taught some useful trades so that they can go 
out and make a good living and be independent 
and have pleasant work to do." 

"Well," said the other miner, "that sounds 
pretty good, but nobody but rich folks can afford 
such a school as that; so I don't see where it is 
going to help us any." 

"There is where you are mistaken again," was 
the answer, "for poor boys and girls can go to this 
school. That is what I have heard. They say 
that they give the boys and girls different kinds 
of work to do, so that they can pay their own way 
through school." 

Booker heard no more. He returned to his work 
very greatly excited. That certainly was the place 
for him. He then and there made up his mind 
that he would go to that school no matter what 
happened. He did not know where the place was, 
but he determined that he would find it. From 
that day on, one thought was in his mind — to go 
to Hampton. 

He wanted to quit work in the mines, because 
the work was so dangerous, and because he was 



16 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

not making enough money. A few days after he 
heard the conversation about Hampton, he heard 
that Mrs. Ruffner wanted a servant. She was the 
wife of General Lewis Ruffner, the owner of the 
salt furnaces and the coal mines. The lady, Mrs. 
Viola Ruffner, was said to be very strict with her 
servants, and consequently no servant would stay 
with her long at a time. 

When Booker heard that she was looking for 
another servant, he decided to apply for the 
place. He was terribly frightened when he went 
into her presence; and he was surprised to find 
her very kind and considerate. She employed 
him, giving him five dollars a month. She became 
very fond of this boy, who worked so hard and 
so well and tried to do the work so as to please 
her. She showed her interest in his ambition to 
get an education, by letting him of! a part of the 
day to study, and by encouraging him to go to the 
night school. 

Washington says also that he learned from Mrs. 
Ruffner many valuable lessons in cleanliness, 
promptness, and order. He says: "Even to this 
day, I never see bits of paper scattered around a 
house or in the street that I do not want to pick 
them up at once. I never see a filthy yard that I 
do not want to clean it, a paling off a fence that I 
do not want to put it on, an unpainted or unwhite- 
washed house that I do not want to paint or white- 
wash it; or a button off one's clothes, or a grease 



PLANNING FOR AN EDUCATION 17 

spot on them or on a floor, that I do not want to 
call attention to it." * 

It was while working for Mrs. Ruffner that he 
started his first " library. " He got an old dry- 
goods box, knocked out one side of it, nailed it up 
against the wall, arranged some shelves, and then 
put into it every book that he could lay his hands 

on. 

But Booker was restless. He wanted to get 
started to school. He had not saved much money, 
for he had not been working for himself very long, 
but he determined to start with what little money 

he had. 

What did his determination mean? Look at 
your map and you will see that Hampton is about 
five-hundred miles from Maiden. Booker was a 
boy of sixteen years. He did not know a soul 
beyond the borders of his own community. He 
had but a few dollars. His mother was not well, 
and he doubted very much whether he would ever 
see her alive again. But he must go and learn, and 
his good mother, noble and brave as she was, 
encouraged her boy and helped him to get away. 

All the people in the community were much 
interested in his going. While they had never had 
a chance, they wanted to encourage this boy who 
was so determined to get an education. Some of 
them would give him a nickel, some a quarter, 
and others a handkerchief to show their desire 

J "Up from Slavery," by Booker T, Washington, p. 44. 



1 8 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

to help him. By and by the day for his departure 
came. He put his few dollars in his pocket, picked 
up the little satchel containing his few clothes, 
said good-by to the neighbors, kissed his weeping 
mother good-by, and turned his face towards 

Hampton. 

There was no through train in those days, and 
he had to travel by stagecoach as well as by train. 
He had no idea, when he started, how costly it 
was to travel, and he had not gone far before he 
realized that he did not have enough money to 
take him to Hampton. So he walked much of the 
way. He would ask for a ride with passers-by, 
and in this way made fairly good progress. 

Early in his journey he had a new and trying 

experience. He had been riding, together with 

a number of white passengers, all day in the 

stagecoach. At nightfall they stopped at a house 

which was called a hotel, and all the passengers 

went in and were given rooms. When Booker 

went in and asked for a room, he was told that they 

could not take him, that they did not take ^egroes. 

He had not intended to offend. He himself says 

it was simply the first time that he realized that 

the color of his skin made a difference. He was 

so intent upon getting to Hampton, he never 

thought of getting angry. He simply walked 

about all night, as it was rather cold, and went on 

his journey next morning. 

Let him tell his own story of another incident 



PLANNING FOR AN EDUCATION 19 

of this famous journey. "By walking," he says, 
"begging rides both in wagons and in the cars, in 
some way, after a number of days, I reached the 
city of Richmond, Va., about eighty-two miles 
from Hampton. When I reached there, tired, 
hungry, and dirty, it was late in the night. I had 
never been in a large city, and this was rather to 
add to my misery. When I reached Richmond, 
I was completely out of money. I had not a single 
acquaintance in that place, and being unused to 
city ways, I did not know where to go. 

"I applied at several places for lodging, but 
they all wanted money, and that was what I did 
not have. Knowing nothing else better to do I 
walked the streets. In doing so, I passed by many 
places and foodstands where fried chicken and 
half -moon apple pies were piled high and made to 
present a most tempting appearance. At that 
time it seemed to me that I would have promised 
all that I expected to possess in the future to have 
gotten hold of one of those chicken legs or one of 
those pies. But I could not get either of these, 
nor anything else to eat. 

"I must have walked till after midnight. At 
last I became exhausted and I could walk no 
longer. I was tired. I was hungry. I was every- 
thing but discouraged. Just about the time when 
I reached extreme physical exhaustion, I came 
upon a portion of the street where the board side- 
walk was considerably elevated. I waited for a 



20 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

few minutes, till I was sure that no passer-by 
could see me, and then crept under the sidewalk, 
and lay for the night upon the ground with my 
satchel for a pillow." l 

When he awoke in the morning, he found that 
he was near a large ship which was unloading a 
cargo of pig iron. He went directly to the ship, 
told the captain his situation, and asked for work 
in order that he might earn money with which to 
buy some food. The captain gave him work and 
was so well pleased with him that he gave him 
employment for several days. Washington was 
anxious to get enough money to take him to Hamp- 
ton as soon as possible. So in order to save as 
much of his wages as possible, he continued to 
sleep under the sidewalk where he slept the first 
night he arrived. 

Many years after that, he was given a great 
reception in Richmond, at a place near this spot, 
and Washington says that his mind was more 
upon that sidewalk that night than it was upon the 
great reception given him by the two thousand 
people present. 

After a few days of work in unloading the ves- 
sel, he felt that he had enough money to take him 
to Hampton; so he continued his journey. Several 
days later he reached Hampton, with just exactly 
fifty cents. 

What a wonderful journey it had been! And 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, pp. 4-8-49- 



PLANNING FOR AN EDUCATION 21 

now at its end, as the big buildings of the school 
came into view, he had a thrill that more than 
repaid him for all the hardships of his trip. He 
was supremely happy, for he had reached the end 
of his rainbow and had found his great treasure. 



CHAPTER IV 

SCHOOL DAYS AT HAMPTON 

At the close of the Civil War one of the most 
important needs of the country was to provide 
some kind of education for the negroes. They 
had never had any schools. If they were to be- 
come good citizens, they must have the proper 
training. A great many good men in the North 
and in the South recognized this fact, and set to 
work to establish schools. Among these men was 
General Samuel C. Armstrong. The General's 
parents had been missionaries to Hawaii. He had 
been educated in the United States, had entered 
the army as soon as the war began, and had made 
such a brilliant record as a soldier that, when the 
war was over, he had risen to the rank of general. 

He had seen a great deal of the negro as a soldier 
during the war. He knew about the conditions in 
the South, and he felt that the greatest service he 
could render would be to give his life to the cause 
of education. He went to work at once, and, 
through the aid of a number of Southern men, he 
established a school for negro boys and girls at 
Hampton, Virginia, and called it Hampton Insti- 
tute. 

His main purpose was to give negro boys and 

22 



SCHOOL DAYS AT HAMPTON 



23 



girls an opportunity to learn some useful trade. 
He believed that people must first learn to make 
a good living before they could make much progress 
in any other direction. He wanted the negroes 
to have good food and good clothes and good 
homes. He wanted them to be able to earn these 




Cabinetmaking at Tuskegee 

things. Likewise, he wanted them to be good 
farmers, good carpenters, good brick masons, 
good mechanics, and good workmen in all kinds 
of trades. He wanted these trades taught in the 
schools. Then, as the race progressed, he wished 
to have the higher branches of study given, such 
as Latin, mathematics, and literature. 



24 



BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 






Thus was begun one of the greatest schools in 
America. Every negro boy knows about Hamp- 
ton. Thousands of the best negroes in the country 
were trained there. General Armstrong was presi- 
dent of the school and did a wonderful work. He 

seemed to inspire 
every student who 
entered to become 
a good and useful 
citizen. Too much 
cannot be said in 
praise of him and 
the great school he 
founded. 

It was here that 
Booker arrived in 
the fall of 1872, 
with a little satchel 
of clothes, fifty cents 
in his pocket, a 
happy heart, and 
a determination to 
succeed. 

Just as soon as he was able to get an interview, he 
went to the head teacher, Mary F. Mackie, and 
told her that he wanted to enter school. She 
stared at him. He was dirty after his long and 
hard journey. His clothes were soiled. He realized 
at once that he was making a bad impression, and 
it was not his fault. Miss Mackie would not say 




Booker T. Washington as a 
Hampton Graduate (1875) 



SCHOOL DAYS AT HAMPTON 25 

whether she would admit him or not. She made 
him wait. He was worried. All he wanted was 
a chance to show her that he meant business. 
Then a very interesting thing happened. Booker 
Washington tells the story himself. He called it 
his examination. 

" After some time had passed," he says, "the 
head teacher said: 'The adjoining recitation room 
needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it.' 

"It occurred to me at once that here was my 
chance. Never did I receive an order with more 
delight. I knew that I could sweep, for Mrs. 
RufTner had thoroughly taught me how to do that 
when I lived with her. 

"I swept the recitation room three times. 
Then I got a dusting-cloth and I dusted it four 
times. All the woodwork around the walls, every 
bench, table, and desk, I went over four times with 
my dusting-cloth. Besides, every piece of furni- 
ture had been moved and every closet and corner 
in the room had been thoroughly cleaned. I had 
the feeling that in a large measure my future de- 
pended upon the impression I made upon the 
teacher in the cleaning of that room. 

"When I was through, I rapped on the door, 
and reported to the teacher. She was a ' Yankee ' 
woman who knew just where to look for dirt. 
She went into the room and inspected the floor and 
closets; then she took her handkerchief and 
rubbed it on the woodwork about the walls, and 



26 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

over the table and benches. When she was un- 
able to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a par- 
ticle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly 
remarked, 'I guess you will do to enter this in- 
stitution.' 

"I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The 
sweeping of that room was my college examination, 
and never did any youth pass an entrance ex- 
amination into Harvard or Yale that gave him 
more genuine satisfaction. I have passed several 
examinations since then, but I have always felt 
that this one was the best one I ever passed." 1 

As a result of his sweeping the room, he was per- 
mitted to enter his classes and was also given a 
job as janitor, and his college career began. It 
was a new, strange life. He sat down at a table, 
which had a cloth on it, to eat his meals. He 
slept in a bed that had sheets on it. These sheets 
gave him trouble. The first night he slept under 
both of them. He didn't think that was right, so 
the next night he slept on top of both of them. 
The third night he watched his roommates, — 
there were seven of them in the same room, — and 
he saw how the thing was done. After that, he 
did as the others did and slept between the sheets. 

"I sometimes feel," he says, "that almost the 
most valuable lesson I got at Hampton Institute 
was in the use and value of a bath. I learned there, 
for the first time, some of its value was not only 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, pp. 52-53. 



SCHOOL DAYS AT HAMPTON 27 

in keeping the body healthy, but in inspiring self- 
respect and promoting virtue. In all my travels 
in the South and elsewhere since leaving Hampton 
Institute, I have always in some way sought my 
daily bath. To get it sometimes when I have been 
the guest of my own people in a single-roomed 
cabin has not been easy to do except by slipping 
away to some stream in the woods. I have always 
tried to teach my people that some provision for 
bathing should be a part of every house." 1 

For some time he had only one pair of socks. 
He had a time of it with these socks. When they 
were too soiled to wear, he would wash them out 
at night, hang them by the fire and dry them 
out, and put them on the next morning. He also 
had a hard time with his clothes. They had in- 
spection every morning. The students were lined 
up, and General Armstrong passed along the lines 
and carefully examined every one. If a button 
was off, or if the clothes were torn or soiled in any 
way, the General would see it. Booker had a hard 
time keeping his clothes in such a condition that 
they would pass muster. 

His work as janitor was very hard. He often 
had to work late at night, for he had many rooms 
to clean. He always got up at four o'clock in the 
morning to build his fires and do some of his study- 
ing. He had a hard time working and making 
expenses too. He usually borrowed his books from 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 58. 



28 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

other students. He soon got some more clothing 
from the barrels of clothing sent to the school by 
people from the North. Board was ten dollars a 
month, part of which he could pay by his work 
as janitor, but a part of it he was supposed to pay 
in cash, and he had no cash. His work was so 
satisfactory, however, that in a short while he was 
told that his work would pay all of his board. 
S.Griffitts Morgan, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, 
paid his tuition. At the end of the year he owed 
the college only sixteen dollars. 

When the college closed at the end of the term, 
all the students went home. Booker could not go. 
It was too far, and he had no money. He wanted 
to get away and get a job, so that he could pay the 
sixteen dollars he owed. He had an extra second- 
hand coat ; so he decided to sell that to get money 
to go away on. He cleaned and pressed the coat, 
and then let it be known that it was for sale. 
After a while a man came to see it. He looked at 
it and asked the price. Booker told him three 
dollars. The man said, "Well, I think I will take 
it. I will tell you what I will do. I will pay you 
five cents cash, and the rest as soon as I can get 
it," How do you suppose Booker felt about that? 

He finally got a job as a waiter in a restaurant 
at Fortress Monroe. They did not pay him enough 
for him to save anything. One day when he was 
cleaning up the place, he found a nice, crisp ten- 
dollar bill under a table. He was very happy. 



SCHOOL DAYS AT HAMPTON 29 

Now he could pay back the money he owed at 
Hampton. However, he thought he ought to tell 
the proprietor about finding the ten dollars. He 
did so, and the proprietor coolly took the ten-dollar 
bill, saying that, since the place belonged to him, 
everything that was found in it naturally belonged 
to him. 

After vacation was over, he returned to Hamp- 
ton and was told that he could have as long to pay 
the sixteen dollars as he wanted, and that he could 
have a job as janitor again. So, his second year 
passed much the same as the first. He devoted 
much of his time this year and the next to the 
debating societies. He says that he never missed 
a single meeting while he was at Hampton. He 
also organized a new society. He had twenty 
minutes every night after supper before work 
began. Most of the students, he observed, wasted 
this time. He proposed that good use be made of 
this period in reading and speaking, and he organ- 
ized a society for that purpose. He says that no 
time he spent in college was more valuable than 
this. 

After the close of his second year, he went home 
to Maiden to spend his vacation. His brother John 
had sent him some money, and he had earned some 
extra money. So he had enough to take him 
home. Everybody was delighted to see him, but 
most of all, his mother. All the neighbors insisted 
on his visiting them and taking a meal with them 



30 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

and telling all about his college days. He also 
spoke at Sunday schools, at the day school, and 
at churches, telling about his life at Hampton. 

This was all very nice, but he wanted some 
work, so that he could earn enough to take him 
back to Hampton in the fall. He was unable to 
find any work because the salt furnaces and the 
coal mines were closed. One day he went further 
than usual looking for something to do but with- 
out success. On his way home he became so tired 
that he went into a deserted cabin by the road 
to spend the night. About three o'clock some one 
woke him up. It was his brother John, who told 
him that their mother had just died. 

This was a terrible shock to Booker. He had 
had no idea his mother was so ill. He had always 
wanted to be with her and care for her. He had 
looked forward to the time when he might make 
enough money for her to live in comfort. He loved 
her very dearly, and her death was the hardest 
blow he had ever received. 

It was not long after this that he got some 
work and saved enough money to take him back 
to Hampton. During his third year at college 
he worked harder than ever. He was still working 
as janitor, but every single minute he had after 
his work was done he spent on his studies. Col- 
lege boys in those days did not have time to play 
football, baseball, and tennis. They did not have 
time to go on picnics or have dances. 



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32 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

The highest honor at Hampton was to be 
selected as commencement speaker. This honor 
Booker was anxious to win. He worked very hard 
for it, and, when commencement day came in 
June, 1875, he sat on the platform among the 
honor men of his class as one of the orators. He 
was given his diploma, and his college days were 
over. 

He had done a good job. He had done the kind 
of work that makes real men. He had trained his 
mind and his hands. He had built character. 
He was not ashamed. He could hold his head up 
and look the world in the face. He had learned 
to help himself. He was independent and had 
gained self-confidence and self-control. He knew 
little of Latin, but he knew much of labor. He 
knew no Greek, but he knew how to dig. He knew 
the soil. He knew people. He was ready for the 
great work that lay before him. 



CHAPTER V 

BEGINNING LIFE IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD 

General Armstrong handed Washington his 
diploma in June, 1875, and he walked forth from 
the college walls a very proud and happy boy. He 
had a right to be. No boy had ever striven harder 
for an education. For three years, day and night, 
he had worked, as few people ever had. But he 
had enjoyed it. Don't get the idea that Washing- 
ton was discouraged or that he was unhappy, for 
he was not. He got an immense amount of gen- 
uine satisfaction and pleasure out of his school 
days. His teachers were good to him, and he was 
devoted to them. His classmates were always 
kind to him and helpful and thoughtful. Every- 
body was his friend. No boy ever left Hampton 
with more warm friends, was more beloved by 
students and faculty, than Booker Washington. 
And these friendships were truly worth winning, 
because they were greater and better than any- 
thing else in the world. 

One of the fine things about Washington was his 
independence. He knew how to take care of him- 
self. He knew he could make his own way in the 
world. He was unusually robust, because he had 
always taken good care of himself. With health, 

33 



34 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

with an education, and with an overwhelming 
desire to help his people, he left Hampton and 
started his life in the outside world. 

Washington left Hampton in exactly the same 
financial condition as when he entered. He had 
a diploma in his pocket but no money. However, 
he was not ashamed of work, if it was honorable, 
and he was not afraid of any amount of it. Along 
with some other Hampton boys, he was offered 
a job in a summer hotel in Connecticut. 

When he began his new work, he had an em- 
barrassing experience. The head waiter, somehow, 
got the idea that he had done this kind of work 
before. He sent him to serve at a table where 
several rich people were seated. Washington was 
very awkward and confused, and the people 
scolded him soundly. It frightened him so that 
he went away and would not return to the table, 
leaving the guests without anything to eat. 

For this offense, the head waiter reduced him 
from his position as waiter and put him to wash- 
ing dishes. Thereupon, he made up his mind that 
he would learn to do this job well. So successful 
was he that the head waiter soon put him back 
at serving, and he made one of the best waiters 
in the hotel. 

When his summer's work was done, Washington 
returned to his old home at Maiden. Soon after 
his arrival, he was chosen to teach the school there. 
He accepted the place and began the work at once. 



IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD 35 

He taught this school for two years, and it is 
doubtful if he ever did better work in his life than 
during these two years. 

All his life the idea had been in Washington's 
mind that he must help his people. This was what 
he wanted most to do. This was why he wanted 
an education. Many people want an education 
for selfish reasons, such as, to make money for 
themselves, to have an easy time or to get honors for 
themselves, but this was never true of Booker 
Washington. His great desire was to help his 
people. He looked about him and saw how poor 
and helpless and ignorant they were, and his heart 
was touched. He wanted to do something that 
would make his people better and happier. 

Now he had his first chance. He went at his 
work with great joy. He opened his school at 
eight o'clock in the morning, and he usually quit 
work about ten o'clock at night. He taught the 
children reading, writing, geography and arith- 
metic, but he taught them something else too. 
He made them comb their hair. He made them 
keep their hands and faces clean. He taught them 
to keep their clothing clean. He taught them to 
use a toothbrush, and to know the value of a bath. 

He organized a debating society for the men and 
boys. He opened a night school so that those who 
worked and could not go to school during the day 
could go at night. He established a reading room. 
He taught several boys privately in order to get 



36 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

them ready to enter Hampton. He taught in 
two Sunday schools. In fact, he did more to make 
his community a good, clean, happy community 
than anybody had ever done before. 

One of the good things he did was to help his 
brother John who had helped him so much while 
he was at Hampton and now wanted to go to school 
himself. What a joy it was to Booker to be able 
to do something for this kind and generous brother ! 
John did go to Hampton, as did another brother, 
James, who was an adopted child; and both 
helped Washington loyally in later years at Tuske- 
gee. 

After teaching two years at Maiden, Washington 
decided to go to school again. This time he went 
to Washington, D. C, and entered Way land Semi- 
nary, where he remained eight months. He did 
not care so much for his work here. It was very 
different from the work at Hampton. The stu- 
dents were all well dressed. They did not have to 
work as they did at Hampton. They had plenty 
of money, and their studies were different. They 
did not have trades, industries, agricultural work, 
or dairying, or anything of that kind. They had 
Latin and Greek and literature and higher mathe- 
matics and other studies of a similar kind. Wash- 
ington felt that he did not get the benefit that he 
did at Hampton. 

Nor did he like Washington any better than he 
liked this school. He saw too much extravagance 



IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD 37 

to suit him. Too many people were trying to get 
something for nothing. Too many of them were 
trying to get jobs with the Federal Government 
that would be easy work and high pay. Many of 
the negroes seemed to think it was the business 
of the Federal Government to support them. 
Washington did not think this was right. He 
thought all men should do good, honest work, and 
that, if they didn't, they would sooner or later 
find trouble. He was glad to get away, for he felt 
that the life that most of the negroes lived at that 
time in Washington was most unsatisfactory. 

At the end of the eight months, he returned to 
Maiden again. At this time there was a big 
campaign on in West Virginia to remove the 
capital, which was located at Wheeling. It was 
far up in the northern part of the state. Many of 
the people wanted another city to be chosen. 
The legislature selected three cities to be voted 
upon by the people and Charleston was one of 
these. Maiden, you remember, was five miles 
from Charleston. Just after he returned from 
Washington, Booker was greatly pleased to receive 
an invitation from a committee of white men to 
come to Charleston and then go on a speaking 
tour in behalf of that city. He accepted the in- 
vitation, and for three months he went about the 
state speaking for Charleston as the capital. When 
the election was held, Charleston won; and no 
small part of the credit was due to the brilliant 



38 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

speeches made by the young negro teacher of 
Maiden. 

He made such a reputation as a speaker in this 
campaign that everybody took it for granted that 
he would now study law and enter politics. A 
well-known judge tried to persuade him to do 
this and offered to teach him law. This was very 
flattering, and for a while Washington considered 
it. But all the time he had the feeling that there 
was something else he must do. He felt that he 
could succeed in law and politics, but he also felt 
that it would be selfish; that he would be doing 
something largely to benefit himself only. 

Most of the negro men in politics, at that time, 
were vicious and ignorant. Of course there were 
many exceptions; but, as a general thing, the negro 
who was in politics during that period was un- 
educated and often dishonest. Washington tells 
of passing a crowd of men one day as they were at 
work on a building. He heard the men saying 
to one of the others, "Hurry up, Gov.," and 
"Hurry, Governor." He paid no attention at 
first but finally made inquiry and found that the 
negro spoken to had at one time been the lieuten- 
ant governor of the state. 

Washington felt that the greatest thing he could 
do was to engage in the kind of work that would 
help his own people most. He did not want 
to preach. He thought there were too many 
preachers already. He had the belief that the most 



IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD 39 

important thing to do was to engage in the kind 
of work that would fit men of his own race to be 
good preachers, good teachers, and good citizens. 

In the midst of these thoughts, and before he 
had definitely made up his mind as to his career, 
he received a letter from General Armstrong, in- 
viting him to deliver the "postgraduate' address 
at Hampton at commencement, 1879. This honor 
brought Washington great joy. He accepted the 
invitation and. chose as his subject, "The Force 
That Wins." He worked hard for three months 
on his speech. It made a great impression on all 
who heard it, and he was acclaimed one of the 
real orators of his race. 



CHAPTER VI 

BACK AT HAMPTON 

There is an old saying that " opportunity knocks 
but once" upon our door. This is not true. Op- 
portunities will certainly continue to come to us. 
The important thing is to be ready for them when 
they come. We never know what incident may 
turn out to be our greatest opportunity. If we 
will do our best to meet every situation that con- 
fronts us, we may be sure that there will be plenty 
of opportunities for us. It is the boy that does 
not do his best on all occasions that loses out. So 
Washington, when invited to speak at Hampton 
commencement, worked hard for three months 
preparing that speech. When the time came, he 
did his very best. Then he forgot the matter and 
went home. Just a few days after he got home, he 
had a great surprise. There came a letter to him 
from General Armstrong. It said, "We need you 
here at Hampton. We want you to come and help 
us run the school." 

That was a very happy moment in the life of 
Washington. He thought more of General Arm- 
strong than of any other man in the world. To 
be asked by this man to come and work for him 

40 



BACK AT HAMPTON 41 

made Washington an exceedingly happy man. 
He immediately wrote that he would accept the 
position. Some weeks later he reached Hampton, 
ready to enter upon his new duties. 

His job was a rather peculiar one. The Indians 
in the United States, who had been put upon 
certain territories out West, after being taken from 
their land in the South and Southwest, had no 
system of education and were entirely without 
schools of any kind. 

General Armstrong wanted to help them. He 
said he believed that they could be educated, and 
he wanted to try it. The Government of the 
United States gave its consent and agreed to co- 
operate with him. 

They brought from the West to Hampton about 
one hundred Indian boys to be educated. These 
boys were very ignorant; Booker Washington 
says that they were almost wild. 

Washington's task was to live in the same build- 
ing with these Indian boys and look after them — 
to be a sort of " house father" to them. 

He had a hard job. The Indians are a very 
proud people. They felt themselves superior to 
the white race, as well as to the black race. They 
had a special dislike for the negro because he had 
been a slave, and the Indians would not be slaves; 
they preferred death to slavery. 

These boys were not only very ignorant, but 
it was very hard to make them understand, 



42 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

as they did not know the English language 
well. Furthermore, everybody expected them to 
fail. 

We usually do just about what people expect of 
us. If they think we are going to succeed, it helps 
us to succeed. If they think we are going to fail, 
it makes attainment of success harder for us. 
Booker Washington said: "I will succeed. I will 
show these people that these Indians can be 
educated." So for an entire year he worked with 
them. He soon won their confidence and respect. 
That they all liked him was evident, for they did 
everything they could to satisfy him and please 
him. He found them ready to work hard and in- 
telligent enough to be taught. They learned the 
different kinds of trades just about as well as the 
negroes did. At the end of the year everybody 
was willing to admit that Washington had made a 
success of teaching the Indians. Ever since then 
Indians have been going to Hampton, and many 
of them are students there to-day. 

Washington says his hardest task was to get 
them to give up some of their old habits and 
customs. They did not want to part with their 
long hair; they did not want to quit wearing 
blankets or quit smoking. However, since these 
customs were not customs at Hampton, they all 
agreed to do as the others did there. 

Now came another very important work for 
Washington. After he had worked with the 



BACK AT HAMPTON 43 

Indians for a year, General Armstrong said, "I 
have another hard job for you." 

"Show it to me," Washington replied. 

A great many people who did not have any 
money were trying to enter Hampton ; they were as 
poor as Washington was when he entered. Gen- 
eral Armstrong did not want to turn them away. 
He finally determined that he would arrange it so 
these people could work all day at some trade or 
other line of work and thus pay their living ex- 
penses and have something left over to go into 
the treasurer's office to their account. They had 
to work ten hours a day to do this. Then they 
went to school two hours at night. After a year 
or two they would have enough money saved up 
from their work to enable them to enter the day 
school. This plan proved to be a very fine one, 
and many of the best students from Hampton 
began in the night school. 

It was this night school that General Armstrong 
wanted Washington to teach. He took charge of 
it and made a great success of it. There were 
about twelve in the class to begin with. The boys 
worked in the sawmill in the daytime, and the 
girls in the laundry. They were such good workers 
that he named them the " Plucky Class." After 
a boy or a girl had been in this class long enough 
to show that he or she meant business and was 
going to stick to the job, Washington would give 
a certificate that read as follows: 



44 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

This is to certify that James Smith is a member 
of the Plucky Class of the Hampton Institute and 
is in good and regular standing." : 

The students were very proud of these certifi- 
cates. It was not long before everybody at Hamp- 
ton was talking about the "Plucky Class." In 
a little while there were twenty-five in the group. 
The number kept on growing the next year, and 
in a few years the class had several hundred mem- 
bers. It is a b ; g part of Hampton and Tuskegee 
to-day, for Washington used the same idea at 
Tuskegee. 

Washington had a way of succeeding in every- 
thing he undertook. This was because he deter- 
mined to succeed and worked so hard and so well 
that success was certain. 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 105. 



CHAPTER VII 

BUILDING A GREAT SCHOOL 

At Hampton the chapel exercises were at night. 
Here they sang the beautiful old negro melodies 
and listened to a talk by General Armstrong, or 
some other good speaker. One Sunday night in 
May, 1 88 1, after the regular exercises, General 
Armstrong, who had a way of taking the students 
into his confidence as well as keeping them in- 
formed of matters of interest to the race, an- 
nounced that he had received a very interesting 
letter. He then told them that the Legislature of 
Alabama at its last session had set aside some 
money for the establishment of a negro normal 
school, and that they were looking for a man to 
be the head of this school and that he had been 
asked to recommend such a man. Of course they 
wanted a white man. However, the next day 
General Armstrong sent for Booker Washington 
and said: "Washington, you heard the announce- 
ment last night about the men in Alabama who 
want a man to be the head of their school. I 
have decided that you are the man for them. 
Will you take the place if it is offered to you?' 

This was surely a great surprise, but Booker 
Washington was always ready. He said: 'I think 
I can fill the place, and I am willing to try." 

45 



46 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

General Armstrong wrote at once about Wash- 
ington. The next Sunday night, during the 
chapel exercises, a telegram was handed to General 
Armstrong. It was from the committee in Ala- 
bama. He opened it, and read it to the audience. 
It said: "Booker Washington will suit us. Send 
him at once." 1 

Washington prepared to go at once to his new 
field. After finishing his work at Hampton, he 
paid a visit to his old home at Maiden, and a 
couple of weeks later, early in June, he arrived at 
Tuskegee, Alabama, to begin his new task. 

Tuskegee at this time was a quiet little town of 
about two thousand inhabitants. It is on a small 
branch railroad, five miles from the main line, 
which runs from Atlanta, Georgia, to Montgomery, 
Alabama. The town is about fifty miles from 
Montgomery. It is right in the heart of what is 
known as the "Black Belt" in the South. A 
large and typical population lived round about. 
The town was the county seat of Macon County, 
in which lived a large number of negro farmers, 
all living very much as the negro family lived in 
the South at that time. The white people and the 
negroes were about equal in population in the 
town and lived in cordial and friendly relations. 

Booker Washington had a great surprise await- 
ing him when he reached Tuskegee. He thought 
that this school that he was to be the head of was 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 107. 



BUILDING A GREAT SCHOOL 47 

already in existence and naturally looked about to 
find the schoolhouse, of course expecting to see 
a nice building. Imagine his surprise when he 
found that there was as yet no school at all 
and absolutely no building, no sign of a school 
whatsoever. He was to start this school himself 
from the very beginning. The legislature had 
simply set aside two thousand dollars a year to be 
used only for paying salaries, and no provision 
had been made for building and grounds. 

Was Booker Washington discouraged? Not for 
a single minute did he sit down and whine and 
complain and say that he might as well give up. 
He went right out into the town, looked up some 
of the leading men of both races, and told them 
that he was going to start something; that he 
was going to open a school. And the men, a little 
amazed at first, caught his enthusiasm and said: 
"Good for you. We are with you. You can 
count on us. We will help." 

His first effort was to find a house to use as a 
school building, and he finally secured a little 
shanty that stood near the A. M. E. Church. It 
was agreed that he could use this building for 
meetings of any kind, and that he could teach in 
the shanty. After consulting again with his 
friends, he announced that on July 4, 1881, the 
Tuskegee Institute would open. 

Now that he had a place in which to begin work, 
his next job was to get students for his school. 



48 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

He began to visit around in the country, making 
talks in the churches at the regular service or at 
Sunday school and at preaching services in school- 
houses and other places. He visited in the homes 
of the people, and everywhere he told them of 
his school plans. 

In this way he came to know the people just as 
they lived, and they learned how sympathetic 
Washington was, and how he was trying to help 
them. Most of those he visited he found living 
in one- or two-room houses, with fat pork and corn 
bread as their principal food. But they always 
treated him kindly and entertained him the best 
they could. One thing that distressed him was 
the discovery that many of these people had been 
persuaded to buy such things as costly sewing 
machines and organs, when they didn't have 
enough to eat and to wear. At one place where 
he took dinner there were four in the family, and 
when they sat down at the table, he found that 
there was but one fork for all five of them. 

Their lives were filled with much drudgery and 
hard work and almost no opportunities for im- 
provement. It was nearly impossible for them 
to make a living, much less save any money. 
Their schools, if they had any at all, had very 
short terms and were taught by teachers who knew 
very little more than the children. It was a dis- 
couraging situation to any one except a man like 
Booker Washington. " These are my people," 



BUILDING A GREAT SCHOOL 49 

he said. "They need help. They need education 
and the kind of education that will give them 
cleaner and happier homes, healthier bodies, better 
schools, and better life in every way. I am going 
to help them." 

The school opened on July 4, 1881, with thirty 
students. Washington was the only teacher. 
A large number of students wanted to enter, but 
he decided not to admit any under fifteen years 
of age. Some of these students were boys, and 
some were girls; some were grown men and 
women. Most of them had been teachers. None 
of them was very well prepared, however, for they 
had been very poorly taught. But the teacher 
found all of them eager to learn and ready to 
work. 

Soon there were more students calling for ad- 
mission. Within six weeks there were fifty stu- 
dents. It was necessary to have a new teacher, 
and the person secured for this work was Olivia 
Davidson, who afterwards became Booker Wash- 
ington's second wife. 

She was a great help to him, and she agreed 
with him that they must do something for the 
students besides merely teaching them books. 
Washington says that they wanted to teach them 
how to be clean; how to take care of their teeth 
and clothing; what and how to eat; and how to 
make a living. 

All these pupils lived on the farm, as did nearly 



5 o BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

all the people of the South. Washington wanted 
to so teach them that they would continue to live 
among their own people and their lives would be 
happier and better in every way. He did not want 
them to get a false idea about education. Many 
of them had the wrong impression already. They 
thought that getting an education consisted in 
reading big books and then of being able to earn 
a living without work. Both of these ideas were 
wrong. He wanted to teach them something that 
would make them useful and happy and prosperous 
on the land in their native state. 

He certainly could not do this while teaching in 
a little old shanty with one room that was in such 
bad condition that one of the pupils had to hold 
an umbrella over the .teacher when it rained. 
He had this same experience at his boarding house, 
where his landlady often held an umbrella over 
him while he ate his breakfast. 

About three months after the opening of his 
school, a small farm about one mile from town was 
offered for sale. Washington went out and looked 
it over and came to the conclusion that it was just 
the place for the kind of school that he intended 
to build. But the price was $500, and he didn't 
have a dollar. The owner said: "Pay me $250 
cash, and I will give you one year to pay the 
other." Washington borrowed $250 and closed the 
deal. 

He decided to move the school at once to the 



BUILDING A GREAT SCHOOL 



5i 



new home. On this farm were four buildings. 
The "big house" had been burned, but there was 
left standing a little cabin, formerly used as a 
dining room, an old kitchen, a stable, and a hen- 
house. Booker Washington and his growing school 
moved into these four buildings. 

The buildings were thoroughly cleaned and 
worked over and put in as good condition as pps- 




Tuskegee's First Group of Buildings 



sible. Washington says, "I recall one morning, 
when I told an old colored man who lived near, 
and who sometimes helped me, that our school 
had grown so large that it would be necessary for 
us to use the henhouse for school purposes, and 
that I wanted him to help me give it a thorough 
cleaning out the next day, he replied, in a most 
earnest manner, 'What do you mean, boss? You 



52 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

sholy ain't going to clean out the henhouse in the 
daytime!'" 1 

Do you know what a "chopping bee" is? Well, 
the students of Tuskegee didn't know until Booker 
Washington taught them. After they had been 
in their new quarters for several weeks, Washing- 
ton walked in one day and said: " To-morrow we 
are going to have a 'chopping bee.' Now all of 
you that have an axe bring it to school with you. 
Those of you who do not have one, let me know, 
and I'll get one for you. We will dismiss school 
early and go to the 'bee. ' " 2 

Next day everybody had an axe, and all of them 
were wondering what sort of game a " chopping 
bee" was. They had never been to one, and they 
were much excited over it. 

Soon after dinner Washington got his axe and 
threw it on his shoulder and told the boys to come 
on. They eagerly followed. He led them out to 
the woods and began cutting down a tree, and 
told them to do the same thing. They did so. 
Washington, swinging his axe faster and better 
than any of them, led the crowd, though all of 
them were doing their best. And as they just 
kept on at this, it presently dawned on them that 
a "chopping bee," after all, was nothing but plain 
cutting down trees and clearing land. Some of 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 130. 

2 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, p. 6. 



BUILDING A GREAT SCHOOL 53 

the students became angry. They said they did 
not come to school to do that kind of work; they 
came to study books. But they looked at Wash- 
ington, who was an educated man, and they saw 
that he was not ashamed to do this kind of work. 
After a time they began to see what Washington's 
purpose was, and they quit complaining and gladly 
helped with all their might to get this needful 
work done. 

There was another way in which Washington 
secured the assistance of others to build up his 
school. He had no way of going about over the 
country except by walking. He did not have a 
horse or a mule, and he could not cover much 
territory by walking. So he would watch for some 
old negro with a mule and wagon and go to him 
and tell him all about his plans. Then he would 
say: "Now, Uncle, don't you want to help in this 
good work? Well, come around early Saturday 
morning with your mule and wagon and take me 
out in the country, where I can see the people and 
tell them about our school," l and the old man 
would be there on time. 

So, with the cordial cooperation of the students 
and friends in the town, the school was making 
progress. Land was being cleared, and the build- 
ings and grounds were being improved. Washing- 
ton was spreading the fame of his school through- 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, p. 7. 



54 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

out the country and every one was becoming 
interested. 

But that debt of five hundred dollars for the 
land on which the school was being built had not 
been paid. Where was the money coming from? 
That was the hard question. Miss Davidson 
started the plan of having suppers or " festivals." 
She would go about town and get friends to donate 
a chicken or a cake or a pie for a supper. In this 
way a good sum was raised. Washington wrote 
to his friends, explained the situation, and asked 
for contributions. He asked the negroes as well as 
the white people in town to give, and they did. 
Washington says that sometimes they would give 
five cents, or twenty-five cents, or a quilt or some 
sugar cane. "I recall one old colored woman,' 
he says, "who was about seventy years of age, - 
she hobbled into the room where I was, leaning 
on a cane. She was clad in rags, but they were 
clean. She said: 'Mr. Washington, God knows 
I spent de bes' days of my life in slavery. God 
knows I's ignorant and poor; but I know what 
you and Miss Davidson is try in' to do. I knows 
you is tryin' to make better men and women for 
de colored race. I ain't got no money, but I wants 
you to take dese six eggs, what I's been savin' up, 
and I wants you to put dese eggs into de eddica- 
tion of dose boys and gals.'" 1 Washington says 
that he has received many gifts for Tuskegee, 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 132. 



BUILDING A GREAT SCHOOL 55 

but none that affected him more deeply than 
this one. 

Needless to say, by the end of the year the five 
hundred dollars had been raised and the debt paid. 

Thus ended the first year of the history of Tuske- 
gee. If you go there now and see the many fine 
buildings, the broad acres, the hundreds of stu- 
dents, and everything that goes to make up a 
great and wonderful college, it would be very hard 
to realize that it started off with one little shanty 
with a leaky roof, one teacher, and thirty students. 
From this simple and humble, but very earnest 
beginning, Tuskegee grew by leaps and bounds 
until it came to be the most remarkable negro 
school in the South. 



CHAPTER VIII 

STRENUOUS DAYS 

As Booker Washington began the second year 
of his school, he met a new obstacle. That was 
nothing unusual for him, however. He was 
usually facing a hard job. He spent his life work- 
ing on difficult tasks, and he never found one that 
he did not finish with satisfaction. He tackled 
this problem at once and with confidence. 

There were two parts to it. In the first place, 
although he had a fine farm of five hundred acres 
all paid for, he had no buildings, except that old 
kitchen, stable, and henhouse, in which to house 
his students. When school opened in the fall of 
1882, there were about one hundred and fifty 
students present. These three or four little old 
shacks would not take care of that crowd. What 
was he to do? This was his first difficulty. 

His other problem was this. His school was 

just outside the town of Tuskegee. It adjoined 

the town. A great many people in Tuskegee 

thought that this school ought not to be built. 

Many were opposed to Booker Washington. Many 

were opposed to educating negroes, and they 

believed that negroes went to school simply to 

get out of work, and that an educated negro was 

56 



STRENUOUS DAYS 57 

" sorry" and troublesome. Then there were some 
who said: "This man means well, but he is just 
a negro, and, of course, he can't succeed." Then, 
there were others who said : This man Washing- 
ton is all right. I believe in him and trust him. 
He is doing a good thing. He is going to succeed. 
I am counting on him." So, his second job was 
to win the friendship and good will of all the 
people in the town and round about and not to 
disappoint those who believed in him. He worked 
out these two problems together, as we shall see 
from what happened. 

The very first thing needed by the students 
after all was not a building but something to eat. 
So the first move Washington made was to start 
the students to work on the farm in raising a 
crop. Every day, after the students had studied 
and recited their lessons, they would go to the 
fields and work. We have already learned how 
they found out what a 'chopping bee' was. 
Now they were working in the fields where they 
had previously cut down the trees. Some of them 
did not like this work at first. They said: 'We 
did not come to school to do work like this. We 
have had enough of this at home." But Washing- 
ton kept right on, working hard himself and show- 
ing his students that he was not ashamed to do 
hard work with his hands. 

The next thing in order was a building — a 
good building, large and comfortable and useful. 



58 



BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 



He began to make plans for it. He knew he had 
to have it, and, although he really did not have 
any money at all in hand, he went right ahead 
and planned a fine building to cost six thousand 
dollars. He did not know where he would get the 




A Sunday Afternoon Band Concert on the Campus 

money, but he had a firm belief that in some way 
the money would be secured. 

When it was learned that he expected to put 
up this building, a man who lived near Tuskegee 
and who owned a sawmill came to Washington 
and said to him: "I have been watching you. I 
know what kind of a man you are. You will keep 



STRENUOUS DAYS 59 

your word, and you will pay your debts. I see 
that you need some help. I just want to say that 
I will furnish you all the lumber you need for this 
building at once, and you can pay just whenever 
you are able." Washington explained that, while 
he hoped to be able to raise the money to pay for 
the building, he had not yet secured any of it. The 
man replied: "That's all right. Your credit is 
good with me; I will trust you." 

We can see from this incident how well he was 
succeeding in making friends with his neighbors. 

As soon as he had raised a part of the money, 
he let the man put the material on the ground. 
Then the building was begun, and again the stu- 
dents did all the work. They first digged the 
foundations, and some of them became so dis- 
gusted with this work that they left the place 
altogether. Washington was sorry that they 
left, but he said that any one who was too proud 
to work with his hands and help out at a time like 
this did not belong in his school. However, 
most of the students remained and were perfectly 
willing to do the work. Rapid progress was made, 
the foundations were finished, and they were 
ready for the laying of the corner stone. 

The laying of the corner stone of this building 
is an important event in the history of the edu- 
cation of the negro. There was a great crowd 
present. Washington, his teachers, his students 
and their parents, and a large number of other 



60 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

negroes were there. There were present, also, a 
large number of white people, - - the mayor of the 
town, the councilmen, the sheriff and all the other 
county officers, and all the prominent business 
and professional men of the community. 

In a way this ceremony marks an epoch n 
Negro history in America. Just seventeen years 
before, it was against the law for a negro to be 
taught books at all in Alabama. Just seventeen 
years before, the negroes were slaves, - - for this 
was in 1882 and in the " Black Belt," in the very 
heart of the South. That this large group of white 
men should gather with the negroes for the pur- 
pose of dedicating a building to negro education 
shows what wonderful change of sentiment had 
taken place. It shows also how thoroughly Booker 
Washington had won the confidence of all the 
people among whom he was working. 

All his students were from Alabama. Most of 
them were from the country. He knew that most 
of them would spend their lives on the farm or in 
occupations of some kind. He wanted them to be 
practical; to know how to do well the things they 
would surely be compelled to do. So he determined 
from the very beginning that his students should 
learn how to do practical things as well as learn 
from books. He had them c'ear the !and for the 
school; he had them farm the cleared lands; he 
had them do the cooking; he had them make the 
brick and build the buildings of the school. He 



STRENUOUS DAYS 



61 



says that his idea was to teach the students the 
best methods of labor and how to derive the 
greatest benefit from their work. He wanted them 
to learn new ways of work, - how to use steam, 
water, and electricity. He also wanted to teach 
them that work was dignified and honorable and 




Automobile and Buggy Trimming at Tuskegee 

that no man should be ashamed to do any kind of 
honest work. 

He followed this plan till his death, and nearly 
every one of the many buildings that stood at 
Tuskegee when he died was built entirely by the 
students themselves. 

They planned to build this first large building — 



62 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

"Porter Hall" they called it — of brick; so they 
went out to make the brick right there. The 
students did not like this work. It was hard and 
it was dirty. However, they went at it and, after 
several trials, found some brick clay. 

They molded the brick, built the kiln, fired it, 
and waited. When the burning was done, they 
found that they had made a complete failure. 
None of the brick could be used. At once they 
built another kiln. This also turned out to be 
a failure. Some of them were discouraged at this, 
and said: "Let's quit." But others said: "We 
must succeed." So a third kiln was built. This 
kiln seemed to be burning splendidly when sud- 
denly, on the last night, it fell. 

This was surely discouraging, but Washington 
was not to be stopped by failure. He was now with- 
out a dollar to continue this work. He happened 
to think, however, of a watch he owned. He took 
the watch to Montgomery, Alabama, near by, 
pawned it for fifteen dollars, came home, called 
the workers together once more, built another 
kiln, and this time the kiln was a success. 

Later, when he went back to get his watch, it 
was gone ; but he never regretted losing it in such 
a good cause. 

Now that he was successful in making bricks, 
the work progressed on the buildings, and soon 
Porter Hall was finished, and other buildings were 
started. 



STRENUOUS DAYS 63 

There were two other things Washington wanted 
for his school. One was a place for his students to 
board, and the other, a place for them to room. 
Washington said that he had nothing but the 
students and their appetites to begin a boarding 
department with. However, they got busy, dug 
a large amount of earth from beneath Porter Hall, 
and opened this basement up for a dining room. 
They had no dishes, no knives and forks to speak 
of, at first; they had poor arrangements of every 
kind. And they had bad luck. Something went 
wrong almost every day at first. They would spill 
the soup, burn the meat, or leave the salt out of 
the bread. Meals were served with no sort of 
regularity. 

Washington says that one morning he was at 
the dining room when everything went wrong. 
The breakfast was a failure. One of the girls who 
failed to get any breakfast went to the well to get 
a drink of water, and found the well rope broken. 
Washington heard her say: "You can't even get 
water to drink at this school." l He says that 
remark came nearer discouraging him than any- 
thing that ever happened to him. 

He may have been discouraged, but he kept on, 
and in a little while things were coming out all 
right. And to-day, one of the greatest sights at 
Tuskegee is the great dining hall with its white 
tablecloths, napkins, and vases of flowers, with 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 161. 



64 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

elegant meals served in excellent style and order 
and on time. 

The next thing was rooms for the boarders. 
Students were coming from a distance. There 
was no place for them at the school. Besides, 
Washington wanted them at the school so that 
he could help them learn best how to keep 
their rooms and live as folks ought to live. They 
used the cabins first for sleeping quarters, but 
they had almost no furniture. They made mat- 
tresses of pine needles. Their bedclothes were 
so scant the first winter that several were frost- 
bitten. 

Soon a good house was built, however, for all 
the students, and now they began to live as people 
ought. Among other things, Washington insisted 
that they use toothbrushes. He said that perhaps 
no one thing meant more in the real training of the 
negro than the proper use of this article. He went 
from room to room himself to see whether the stu- 
dents had them. 'We found one room, ,: he says, 
that contained three girls who had recently arrived 
at the school. When I asked them if they had tooth- 
brushes, one of the girls replied, pointing to a 
brush, 'Yes, sir, that is our brush. We bought it 
together yesterday.' It did not take them long 
to learn a different lesson." 1 

In many ways, he was able to help these students 
learn the proper ways of living- -how to sleep 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 175. 



STRENUOUS DAYS 



65 



properly, how to care for their bodies, and how to 
take care of their clothes. 

This second year of the school was truly a 
strenuous one in clearing land, raising a crop, 
making bricks, building Porter Hall, starting a 
boarding department and a rooming department. 




Class in Physical Training at Tuskegee 

Everybody had been busy doing good work, and 
everybody was happy. They were making a great 
beginning. 

A very important event of this year was the 
marriage of Washington to Fannie M. Smith. 
They had known each other back in Maiden, 
and, as soon as Washington's work was well begun, 
they were married, She lived only two years after 



66 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

her marrage, dying in 1884, and leaving a daugh- 
ter, Portia M. Washington. Several years later 
Washington married Olivia Davidson, the teacher 
who had been associated with him in the school 
almost from the first, and who had done so much 
to help him in getting the school started. 



CHAPTER IX 

RAISING MONEY FOR TUSKEGEE 

Tuskegee grew rapidly and steadily. Students 
began to pour in from all parts of the country. 
Girls were coming as well as boys. It was abso- 
lutely necessary to find some place for these stu- 
dents to live and carry on their school work. 
Tuskegee Institute had no money. You will re- 
member that the Legislature of Alabama appro- 
priated two thousand dollars a year for the pay- 
ment of teachers, but gave nothing for buildings or 
land or equipment. So if new buildings were to be 
erected, it meant that the money would have to 
be raised by some other means. This was not a 
church school, and it could not, therefore, appeal 
to any religious denomination for help. There 
was only one way to secure funds for its develop- 
ment and growth and that was by going out and 
asking people directly for aid. 

Washington did not like to do this, but, recog- 
nizing the necessity for it, he went bravely ahead. 
And perhaps no man was ever more successful in 
this work than he was. President Charles W. 
Eliot, of Harvard University, had to raise money 
in the same way for Harvard. He was so success- 
ful that it was said of him, "When he goes to rich 
men they just throw up their hands and say, 

67 



68 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

'Don't shoot! How much do you want?" And 
President Eliot said that Washington could beat 
him raising money. 

Before Washington's death in 191 5, it required 
from $250,000 to $300,000 a year to run Tuskegee. 
That is a big sum of money. A very large part 
of it had to be raised by personal solicitation. 
And it had to be raised almost entirely in the 
North. This meant that Washington had to 
spend a large part of his time away from Tuskegee, 
traveling over the country, making speeches, and 
talking to individual men. It was hard work, 
and it took a great deal of strength and effort 
as well as time. He had many remarkable experi- 
ences. He met many great and good people, who 
were glad to help him. He had an opportunity 
to tell them about his school and about his people 
in the South ; and an opportunity to hear this re- 
markable man was given to many people. 

This is the way he was led to undertake this 
work. When the girls began coming to school, 
they had to have a dormitory. The boys had 
been staying in the attic of Porter Hall, living 
in the shanty, or boarding in town. But this would 
not do for the girls. They must have different 
accommodations. The boys ought to have, but 
the girls must have better surroundings. So they 
proceeded to plan a dormitory. They did not have 
any money with which to build a house. It was 
just like starting Porter Hall. But they said they 



RAISING MONEY 



69 



could at least plan the kind of building they would 
build if they had the money. They made plans 
for a building that would cost ten thousand dol- 
lars, and named it Alabama Hall. But that Ala- 
bama Hall was on paper only and in the minds of 
folks; so they could not use it very well. 




White Hall (Girls' dormitory), Chapel (rear), Tatum Hall (right), 

Tuskegee Institute 



Then an interesting thing happened. Have 
you noticed how often something interesting 
turned up with Washington? Perhaps there is a 
good reason for it. "Nothing ever comes to one, 
that is worth having, except as a result of hard 
work," Washington himself has said. It was not 
just an accident after all that these good things 



70 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

were happening. It was because Washington by 
his work and his good sense had made lasting 
impressions upon people who were in positions to 
give him help. 

This is what happened. While thinking about 
how he could get the ten thousand dollars for 
Alabama Hall, he received a letter from General 
Armstrong, asking if he would agree to go with 
him on a tour of the North; if so, to come to 
Hampton at once. Washington was delighted 
and accepted the invitation. To his great surprise 
he found that General Armstrong had planned to 
take a quartette of singers from Hampton and go 
himself with Washington on a tour of the North 
in the interests of Tuskegee. Washington thought 
the trip was planned for Hampton, of course, 
and, when he found that General Armstrong had 
been so unselfish as to plan it for him, he was over- 
come with gratitude. 

They had a great trip. General Armstrong had 
Washington do most of the speaking. ' Give them 
an idea for every word,' : he said to Washington 
as they started. And Washington did. It was 
on this trip that Washington first introduced 
Tuskegee to the people of the North, and that the 
people first got acquainted with Washington. 
When he returned from this trip, he was able to 
begin work on Alabama Hall, and it was soon 
completed and paid for. From this time on 
Washington went North a great deal to speak 



RAISING MONEY 71 

publicly and to talk privately to men about the 
needs of Tuskegee. 

He met a great many rich men. He had many 
interesting experiences with them. He did not 
u beg' from them. He says he always followed 
two simple rules in this work: first, to do his full 
duty in presenting the needs of the school, and, 
second, not to worry about the results. He found 
these rich men unlike what he had expected. He 
said they were among the best and kindest and 
most generous people in the world. While he some- 
times received discourteous treatment, as a rule 
he was gladly received and treated with great 
respect, and help was gladly given. 

Three of the rich men who helped Washington 
a great deal were: Collis P. Huntington, the great 
railroad builder; H. H. Rogers, of the Standard 
Oil Company, and Andrew Carnegie, the philan- 
thropist, who had made a fortune in the steel in- 
dustry. Washington says that the first time he 
interviewed Mr. Huntington he received a dona- 
tion of two dollars. Two dollars from a multi- 
millionaire! But the last donation he received 
from Mr. Huntington was a check for fifty thou- 
sand dollars. And between the two gifts there had 
been gifts of many thousands. Mr. Rogers also 
gave many thousands of dollars and helped par- 
ticularly in the great extension work of the college. 

The most liberal giver was Andrew Carnegie. 
As soon as Carnegie heard of the work that Wash- 



72 



BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 



ington was doing, he sent for him to come to New 
York City. The result was that Carnegie gave him 
fifteen thousand dollars with which to build a 
library. Washington and his coworkers spent a 
great deal of time working out the plans for this 
building. All the work was done by the students 




John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital, Tuskegee Institute 

of Tuskegee. When it was completed, Carnegie 
was amazed that such a beautiful and useful build- 
ing had been built for that sum of money. It 
convinced him that these people could be trusted 
to spend money wisely. He therefore determined 
to give a large sum to the school. Thus it hap- 
pened, in 1903, that the President of the Board of 
Trustees of Tuskegee received the following letter: 



RAISING MONEY 73 

New York, April 17, 1903. 
My dear Mr. Baldwin : 

I have instructed Mr. Franks, Secretary, to de- 
liver to you as Trustee of Tuskegee $600,000 of 5 per 
cent U. S. Steel Co. bonds to complete the Endow- 
ment Fund as per circular. 

One condition only - - the revenue of one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand of these bonds is to be 
subject to Booker Washington's order to be used by 
him first for his wants, and those of his family during 
his life or the life of his widow. If any surplus is 
left he can use it for Tuskegee. I wish that great 
and good man to be free from pecuniary cares that 
he may devote himself wholly to his great mission. 

To me he seems one of the foremost of living 
men, because his work is unique, - - the Modern 
Moses, who leads his race and lifts it through 
Education to ever better and higher things than a 
land overflowing with milk and honey. History 
is to know two Washingtons, — one white, the other 
black, both fathers of their people. I am satisfied 
that the serious race question of the South is to be 
solved wisely only by following Booker Washing- 
ton's policy, which he seems to have been especially 
born — a slave among slaves - - to establish, and, 
even in his own day, greatly to advance. 

So glad to be able to assist this good work in 
which you and others are engaged. 

Yours truly, 
(Signed) Andrew Carnegie. 

To Mr. William H. Baldwin, Jr., 
New York City, N. Y. 1 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, pp. 258-259. 



74 



BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 



One other name must be mentioned, and that is 
Julius Rosenwald of Chicago. Mr. Rosenwald 
not only gave large sums himself - and is still 
giving enormous amounts not only to Tuskegee 
but to the cause of negro education throughout 
the South - - but frequently left his own business 




Class in Photography, Tuskegee Institute 

and helped to raise money among his friends for 
Tuskegee . 

There were many large gifts from many men 
and women, all of whom cannot be mentioned here 
of course, but most of the money that was given 
to Tuskegee came in small amounts from a large 
number of people, — from churches, Sunday 



RAISING MONEY 75 

schools, missionary societies, and other organiza- 
tions; from preachers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, 
farmers — from every class of people came gifts, 
sometimes large and sometimes small. All the 
graduates of Tuskegee were loyal and gave some- 
thing, however small the amount might be The 
Alabama Legislature gave more and more as the 
school grew. The Slater Fund and the Peabody 
Fund also began to make annual contributions to 
the school. 

It was through all these channels that the money 
came pouring nto Tuskegee in such amounts that 
it was poss'ble for it to grow and develop in a 
remarkable way. Building after building went 
up. New students came. New equipment was 
purchased. Additional faculty members were 
secured. And the school grew in size and useful- 
ness and in favor in the eyes of the people. 



CHAPTER X 

MAKING SPEECHES 

Frederick Douglass and Booker Washington 
rank as the greatest orators the negro race has 
ever produced. This is a high place to occupy, 
for the race has produced many remarkable 
speakers. 

Douglass was the great spokesman for the race 
just before the Civil War and during the trouble- 
some days of reconstruction. Washington began 
his career just at the time that Douglass ended 
his. Douglass was a very eloquent man; perhaps 
more eloquent at times than Washington. On the 
other hand, Washington was a better educated 
man than Douglass and probably had a more 
lasting influence upon his generation. 

Booker Washington made thousands of speeches 
in his life. He spoke to white and black; in the 
North and in the South; in Europe as well as in 
America. He spoke in churches; at school com- 
mencements; at conventions; at educational and 
religious meetings; at county fairs; and to every 
kind and condition of people. He spoke before 
kings and presidents; he spoke to the lowliest 
men of his own race in the heart of the black belt 
in Alabama. It is a wonderful thing to be an 

76 



MAKING SPEECHES 77 

orator; to speak to men and women in such a way 
that they will be helped and inspired and made 
happier and more useful. 

When Washington was at Hampton, he began 
to learn the art of speaking. You remember how 
he organized a debating society which met for the 
twenty minutes they had between supper and time 
to begin work. You remember how he spoke and 
spoke at these meetings, doing his best to learn 
how to express himself well. One of his teachers, 
Miss Mackie, knew of his ambition to become a 
good speaker, and she gave him a great deal of 
help, teaching him how to stand, how to pronounce 
his words, and how to control his voice and ges- 
tures. By much hard work he came to be the best 
speaker among the boys at Hampton. 

You will recall, too, how General Armstrong 
invited him to deliver the alumni address in 1879, 
and what a big success he made of that. All this 
time he was speaking at Sunday schools, at 
churches, at educational meetings, and everywhere 
he had an opportunity. His trip North with 
General Armstrong gave him much valuable 
experience. 

The first speech that he made that attracted 
the attention of all the people was at the National 
Education Association, in Madison, Wis. The 
most important thing he said in this speech was 
that the ' ' whole future of the negro rested largely 
upon the question as to whether or not he should 



78 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

make himself, through his skill, intelligence, and 
character, of such undeniable value to the com- 
munity in which he lived that the community 
could not dispense with his presence." He said 
that any one who "learned to do something better 
than anybody else — learned to do a common 
thing in an uncommon manner — had solved his 
problem, regardless of the color of his skin." 1 He 
also said that the two races ought to be brought 
closer together and cultivate the most cordial 
and friendly relations, rather than become bitter 
toward each other. 

But the greatest speech of Washington's life 
was the Atlanta speech. In the year 1895 the 
people of Georgia determined to hold a great 
Cotton States Exposition, in Atlanta, which would 
set forth the progress of the South since the Civil 
War. In order to make the exposition a great 
success it was necessary to have the financial 
assistance of Congress. So a committee was ap- 
pointed to go to Washington to confer with a 
committee from Congress. Booker Washington 
was appointed on this Georgia committee; and 
his speech in Washington before the Congressional 
committee was one of unusual force. Many said 
it was the best speech made. Congress gave the 
assistance asked. 

When the authorities came to plan the exposi- 
tion in detail, they decided to have a Negro 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 202. 



MAKING SPEECHES 79 

Division. The negroes were asked to take part, 
and they gladly agreed to do so They built one 
of the best buildings on the grounds. This building 
was planned by a negro architect and was erected 
entirely by negro labor. It contained exhibits 
prepared altogether by negroes. It was one of the 
most interesting parts of the entire exposition. 

When the exposition was formally opened in 
September, 1895, Booker Washington was invited 
to make an address as a representative of the 
negro race. James Creelman, a noted newspaper 
man, the correspondent of the New York World, 
heard that speech, and he wrote to the World about 
it. This is what he wrote: 

"Mrs. Thompson, one of the other speakers on the pro- 
gram, had hardly taken her seat, when all eyes were turned 
on a tall, tawny negro, sitting in the front row of the plat- 
form. It was Professor Booker T. Washington, President 
of the Tuskegee (Alabama) Normal and Industrial Institute, 
who must rank from this time forth as the foremost man of 
his race in America. Gilmore's Band played the 'Star- 
spangled Banner,' and the audience cheered. The tune 
changed to 'Dixie' and the audience roared with shrill 
'hi-yi's.' Again the music changed, this time to 'Yankee 
Doodle,' and the clamor lessened. 

"All this time the eyes of the thousands present looked 
straight at the negro orator. A strange thing was to happen. 
A black man was to speak for his people, with none to in- 
terrupt him. As Professor Washington strode to the edge 
of the stage, the low, descending sun shot fiery rays through 
the windows into his face. A great shout greeted him. He 
turned his head to avoid the blinding light, and moved about 



80 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

the platform for relief. Then he turned his wonderful 
countenance to the sun without a blink of the eyelids, and 
began to talk. 

" There was a remarkable figure; tall, bony, straight as 
a Sioux chief, high forehead, straight nose, heavy jaws, and 
strong, determined mouth, with big white teeth, piercing 
eyes, and a commanding manner. The sinews stood out 
on his bronzed neck, and his muscular right arm swung high 
in the air, with a lead pencil grasped in the clinched brown 
fist. His big feet were planted squarely, with the heels 
together and the toes turned out. His voice rang out clear 
and true, and he paused impressively as he made each point. 
Within ten minutes the multitude was in an uproar of en- 
thusiasm — handkerchiefs were waved, canes were flourished, 
hats were tossed in the air. The fairest women of Georgia 
stood up and cheered. It was as if the orator had bewitched 
them. 

"And when he held his dusky hand high above his head, 
with the fingers stretched wide apart, and said to the white 
people of the South, on behalf of his race, ' In all things that 
are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one 
as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress,' the 
great wave of sound dashed itself against the walls, and 
the whole audience was on its feet in a delir'um of ap- 
plause. 

"I have heard the great orators of many countries, but 
not even Gladstone himself could have pleaded a cause with 
more consummate power than did this angular negro, stand- 
ing in a nimbus of sunshine, surrounded by the men who 
once fought to keep his race in bondage. The roar might 
swell ever so high, but the expression of his earnest face never 
changed. 

"A ragged, ebony giant, squatted on the floor in one of 
the aisles, watched the orator with burning eyes and tremu- 
lous face until the supreme burst of applause came, and then 



MAKING SPEECHES 81 

the tears ran down his face. Most of the negroes in the 
audience were crying, perhaps without knowing just why. 

"At the close of the speech Governor Bulloch rushed 
across the stage and seized the orator's hand. Another 
shout greeted this demonstration, and for a few minutes 
the two men stood facing each other, hand in hand." l 

It was a wonderful speech. It contained much 
good advice both to the whites and to the negroes. 
It was fair to both. As Clark Howell, editor of 
the Atlanta Constitution, said, "It was a platform 
upon which both races, black and white, could 
stand with full justice to each other." 2 In the 
speech he told the following story: "A ship lost 
at sea for many days suddenly sighted a friendly 
vessel. From the mast of the unfortunate vessel 
was seen a signal: ' Water, water; we die of thirst.' 
The answer from the friendly vessel at once 
came back, 'Cast down your buckets where you 
are.' A second time the signal, 'Water, water, 
send us water,' ran up from the distressed vessel, 
and was answered, ' Cast down your buckets where 
you are.' And a third and a fourth signal for water 
was answered, 'Cast down your buckets where 
you are.' The captain of the distressed vessel, 
at last heeding the injunction, cast down his 
bucket, and it came up full of fresh, sparkling 
water from the mouth of the Amazon River." 
Washington then appealed to his own people to 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, pp. 239-240. 

2 Ibid. } p. 226. 



82 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

"cast down their buckets where they were," by 
making friends with their white neighbors in every 
manly way, by training themselves where they 
were in agriculture, in mechanics, in commerce, 
instead of trying to better their condition by im- 
migration. And, finally, to the white Southern 
people, he appealed to "cast down their buckets 
where they were," by using and training the 
negroes whom they knew rather than seeking to 
import laborers whom they did not know. * 

Frederick Douglass had died only a few months 
before this great speech was made. At once from 
all parts of the country came the statement, "Here 
is the man who will take the place of Douglass 
as leader of the negro race." And from that time 
on, Booker Washington was the accepted leader 
of his people in this country. 

He was immediately called upon to speak in all 
parts of the country. He was offered big sums of 
money to lecture. One speaker's bureau offered 
him fifty thousand dollars a year. He refused all 
these offers of money, saying that he must give 
his time to Tuskegee and to the interests of his 
people, rather than try to make money for himself. 

Another of his great speeches was made at 
Cambridge, Mass., in 1896. Harvard University, 
the oldest and most famous university in America, 
conferred the honorary degree of master of arts 
upon Mr. Washington in 1896. This was the 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 219. 



MAKING SPEECHES 83 

first time in the history of America that a college 
or university of such high standing had ever con- 
ferred an honorary degree upon a negro. Wash ng- 
ton says this honor was the greatest surprise of 
his life. At the time the ceremony of conferring 
this degree took place, he made a speech that won 
great applause from the audience. 

It is very interesting to read Washington's own 
account of his experiences. 'People often ask 
me," he says, 'if I feel nervous before speaking, 
or else suggest that, since I speak so o ten, they 
suppose I get used to it. In answer to this question 
I have to say that I always suffer intensely from 
nervousness before speaking. More than once, 
just before I was to make an impor ant address, 
this nervous strain has been so great that I have 
resolved never again to speak in public. I not 
only feel nervous before speaking, but after I have 
finished I usually feel a sense of regret, because it 
seems to me as if I had left out of my address the 
best thing that I had meant to say. . . . Nothing 
tends to throw me ofl my balance so quickly, when 
I am speaking, as to have some one leave the room. 
To prevent this, I make up my mind, as a rule, 
that I will try to make my address so interesting, 
will try to state so many interest ng facts one after 
another, that no one will leave." : 

Washington made it a rule never to say any- 
thing to a Northern audience that he would not 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, pp. 242, 244. 



84 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

say to a Southern audience. He also made it a 
rule never to say to a negro audience anything 
that he would not say to a white audience. In 
this honest and fair way he kept close to the 
truth, and at the same time never offended fair- 
minded people of either race. 

He was a capital story-teller, but he did not 
make a practice of telling jokes and funny stories 
in his speeches, just to make people laugh. He 
always had a serious purpose in his stories. He 
had two or three stories that he told frequently, 
because they were so full of meaning. This was 
one of them: One day he was going along the 
road, and he met old Aunt Caroline, with a basket 
on her head. He said, 'Good morning, Aunt 
Caroline. Where are you going this morning?' 
And she replied, "Lor' bless yer, Mister Washing- 
ton, I dun bin where I's er goin." 'And so," he 
would then say, "some of the races of the earth 
have done been where they was er goin'. But the 
negro race is not one of them. Its future lies 
before it." * 

Another of his stories was about a good old 
negro who accompanied Washington on one of his 
tours. At a certain city they found that they had 
several hours before the train left ; so this old man 
decided to stroll about to see the town. Pres- 
ently, he looked at his watch and found that 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, p. 30. 



MAKING SPEECHES 85 

it was just about time for his train to leave, and 
he was some distance from the station. He rushed 
to a hack stand, and called out to the first driver 
he came to, who happened to be a white man, 
" Hurry up, and take me to the station; I's gotta 
get the 4:32 train." To which the white driver 
replied, "I ain't never drove a nigger in my hack 
yit, an' I ain't goin' ter begin now. You can git 
a nigger driver ter take ye down." l 

To this the old colored man replied with per- 
fect good nature, "All right, my friend, we won't 
have no misunderstanding or trouble; I'll tell 
you how we will settle it; you jest hop in on der 
back seat an' do der ridin' an' I'll set in front an' 
do der drivin'." In this way they reached the 
station on good terms, and the old man caught his 
train. Like this old negro, Washington always 
devoted his energies to catching the train, and it 
made little difference to him whether he sat on 
the front or back seat. 

Two other speeches of Washington attracted 
wide attention. One of these was delivered in 
Boston in 1897, at the time of the dedication of a 
monument to Robert Gould Shaw. Shaw was the 
Colonel of the famous negro regiment of soldiers 
from Massachusetts in the Civil War. It was in 
this regiment that Sergeant William H. Carney 
served, — the man who triumphantly carried the 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, pp. 30-31. 



86 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

flag in the great battle of Fort Wagner, and ex- 
claimed after the fight, " The old flag never touched 
the ground ! " Colonel Shaw lost his life in the bat- 
tle of Fort Wagner, while leading his negro regi- 
ment. The people of Boston erected a monument 
to his memory, and Washington's speech at its dedi- 
cation was one of the greatest he ever made. 

One other speech was delivered in Chicago in 
1898 at a great Peace Celebration, following the 
close of the Spanish-American War. There was 
an enormous crowd — the largest he ever spoke 
to, Washington says. There were sixteen thousand 
people present. President McKinley was there, 
together with several cabinet members and other 
distinguished guests. "The President was sitting 
in a box at the right of the stage," says Washing- 
ton. "When I addressed him I turned to the box, 
and as I finished the sentence thanking him for 
his generosity, the whole audience rose and cheered 
again and again, waving hats and handkerchiefs 
and canes, until the President arose in the box, 
and bowed his acknowledgments. At that the 
enthusiasm broke out again, and the demonstra- 
tion was almost indescribable." 1 

The demands for him to speak were so great 
that it was impossible for him to meet them 
all. He often spoke three and four times a day. 
He was away from Tuskegee, making speeches, a 
large part of his time. He made extended tours, 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 255. 



MAKING SPEECHES 87 

by special train, all over the states of Virginia, 
North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. On these 
tours he spoke to thousands and thousands of 
people. Everywhere he went all the people, white 
and black, heard him gladly. The good that this 
man did through his oratory cannot be overesti- 
mated. 



CHAPTER XI 

SUCCESS AS EDUCATIONAL LEADER 

Booker Washington spent his life in the edu- 
cation of the negro. Negroes of ability in his day 
usually became preachers or they entered politics. 
The negro preacher had rendered a greater service 
to his people, perhaps, than any one else. Before 
1865, the ministry was practically the only place 
where negro leadership could find expression. It 
was much the same way for many years after the 
Civil War. However, after emancipation, there 
was an opportunity for leadership in politics, and 
a great many negroes of ability entered this field, 
many of them holding offices. 

Washington was urged by some of his friends 
to enter the ministry. Others urged him to study 
law and enter politics. Undoubtedly he could 
have made a great success in either of these fields 
of work. But from the very beginning of his 
education, he had a strong conviction that his life 
must be spent in helping to educate his people. 

He felt that education was the greatest need of 
his race. Before the war, it had been against the 
law for a slave to be taught from books. At the 
close of the war, then, there were no schools, no 
teachers, and no books. The whole race could 

88 



EDUCATIONAL LEADER 



89 



neither read nor write. The whole race had had 
no training of any kind except in agriculture. It 
is true a few, but a very few, had had a little train- 
ing in certain trades such as bricklaying, black- 
smithing, and carpentry. The race, therefore, 
through no fault of its own, was very ignorant. It 
had never had an opportunity. 




Chemistry Class, Tuskegee Academic Department 

But now that the opportunity had come with 
emancipation, the entire race was eager to learn. 
Old men and old women, as well as boys and girls, 
began with great zeal to learn to read and write. 
The race started to school. It was determined to 
get an education, and it was to help in this great 



9 o BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

work that Washington early determned to devote 
his life. 

Just after the war there was much confusion 
and doubt about the best plan to follow in educat- 
ing the negro. The Freedmen's Bureau brought 
a large number of teachers from the North to 
assist in the task, and much valuable work was 
done in the negro schools by these teachers. The 
d ff erent Southern states also began to make pro- 
vision for the negro's education, by organizing 
schools, building schoolhouses, and making pro- 
vision for training teachers. 

There was much difference of opinion as to just 
what should be taught the negro. As a rule, the 
plan followed was to teach him just what had been 
taught in the white schools. This meant that he 
would study reading, writing, arithmetic and 
grammar, and later, Latin, Greek, mathematics 
and literature. 

So much of this kind of teaching was done, and 
it was so poorly done, and it was so poorly adapted 
to the needs of the negro at the time, that a great 
many people began to doubt the wisdom of trying 
to educate the negro at all. But Washington in- 
sisted that the mistake was made in the kind of 
education they were trying to give him. In answer 
to the question, "Does it pay to educate the 
negro?" Washington often told the story of what 
had taken place in Macon County, Alabama, 
the county in which Tuskegee is located. In that 



EDUCATIONAL LEADER 91 

county, he and Mr. H. H. Rogers decided to build, 
with the cooperation of the people themselves, a 
system of excellent schools, and try out as 
thoroughly as possible the question of the effect 
of education upon the negro, under favorable con- 
ditions. They put up good schoolhouses, secured 
good teachers, taught practical subjects, and ran 
the schools for eight or nine months in the year. 

What was the result? In a short time people 
began to come from all parts of the state and out- 
side the state to buy land or to work within reach 
of these excellent schools. Land advanced in 
price. Desirable citizens nocked in. Homes were 
improved. Good roads were built. Better farms 
appeared. Crime diminished. The sheriff said 
that he practically had no further use for the jail. 
Cordial relations existed between the white and 
negro people. In every way Macon County came 
to be a better place to live in. The race problem 
was solved in that county. People were happy 
and prosperous. They were living clean, whole- 
some, contented lives. The whole problem of 
living was, in a large measure, solved. And it was 
all due to education of the people, and education 
of the right kind. What was good for Macon 
County, Alabama, would be good for every county 
in the country. 

Washington's ideas of education were very 
simple. He had studied carefully the needs of his 
people. What he wanted was a system of educa- 



92 



BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 



tion that would help people directly and im- 
mediately; that would enable them to make better 
crops; build better homes; wear better clothes; 
eat better food; live cleaner and purer and hap- 
pier lives. He wanted his people to learn to live; 
and he believed the school was the place to learn 
that lesson. 



i, 




Truck Gardening, Tuskegee Institute 

He wanted the children to study practical things; 
the things they needed. He thought, therefore, 
that the school ought to be very closely related 
to life. His idea was that that school was best 
which turned out students who could earn their 
own living at once; who had the ability to take 
care of themselves in whatever environment they 
happened to be; and who had genuine character. 



EDUCATIONAL LEADER 93 

"My experience has taught me," he says, "that 
the surest way to success in education, and in any 
other line for that matter, is to stick close to the 
common and familiar things — things that con- 
cern the greater part of the people the greater part 
of the time." * 

It was this belief in the close relation between 
school and life that caused him to have his stu- 
dents, at the beginning of the building of Tuskegee, 
cut down the trees, plant the crops, make the 
bricks, build the buildings, cook the food, care 
for the dormitories, look after the live stock, and 
do everything that was to be done about the place. 
He wanted his students to learn to do well all 
these tasks that they would face in later life. And 
he also wanted them to learn that it was a per- 
fectly honorable and dignified and sensible thing 
to labor, to work, to do anything that was honest 
and useful. 

Perhaps there is no better way of understanding 
Washington's ideas of education and just what he 
was striving to do at Tuskegee than to describe 
the commencement exercises at this school. 

"On the platform before the audience is a mini- 
ature engine to which steam has been piped, a 
miniature frame house in course of construction, 
and a piece of brick wall in process of erection. 
A young man in jumpers comes on the platform, 
starts the engine and blows the whistle. Where- 

1 "My Larger Education," by Booker T. Washington, p. 139. 



94 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

upon young men and women come hurrying from 
all directions, and each turns to his or her ap- 
pointed task. A young carpenter completes the 
little house, a young mason finishes the laying of 
the brick wall, a young farmer leads forth a cow 
and milks her in full view of the audience, a sturdy 
blacksmith shoes a horse, and, after this patient, 
educative animal has been shod, he is turned over 
to a representative of the veterinary division to 
have his teeth filed. At the same time, on the 
opposite side of the platform one of the girl stu- 
dents is having a dress fitted by one of her class- 
mates, who is a dressmaker. She at length walks 
proudly from the platform in her completed new 
gown, while the young dressmaker looks anxiously 
after to make sure that it 'hangs right behind.' 
Other girls are doing washing and ironing with 
the drudgery removed in accordance with ad- 
vanced Tuskegee methods. Still others are hard 
at work on hats, mats, and dresses, while boys from 
the tailoring department sit cross-legged working 
on suits and uniforms. In the background are 
arranged the finest specimens which scientific 
agriculture has produced on the farm and me- 
chanical skill has turned out in the shop. The 
pumpkin, potatoes, corn, cotton, and other agri- 
cultural products predominate, because agriculture 
is the chief industry at Tuskegee, just as it is among 
the negro people of the South. 

"This form of commencement exercise is one of 



EDUCATIONAL LEADER 



95 



Booker Washington's contributions to education 
which has been widely copied by schools for whites 
as well as blacks. That it appeals to his own people 
is eloquently attested by the people themselves, 
who come in ever-greater numbers as the com- 
mencement days recur. At three o'clock in the 




Domestic Science Class at Tuskegee 

morning of this great day, vehicles of every de- 
scription, each loaded to capacity with men, 
women, and children, begin to roll in, in an un- 
broken line which sometimes extends along the 
road for three miles. Some of the teachers at 
times objected to turning a large area of the In- 
stitute grounds into a hitching-post station for 



96 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

the horses and mules of this great multitude, but 
to all such objections Mr. Washington replied, 
'This place belongs to the people and not to us.' 
Less than a third of these eight or nine thousand 
people are able to crowd into the chapel to see 
the actual graduation exercises; but all can see 
the graduation procession as it marches through 
the grounds to the chapel, and all are shown 
through the shops and over the farm and through 
the special agricultural exhibits, and even through 
the offices, including that of the principal. It is 
significant of the respect in which people hold the 
Institute, and in which they held Booker Wash- 
ington, that in all these years there has never 
been on these occasions a single instance of drunk- 
enness or disorderly conduct." l 

"One of our students in his commencement 
oration last May gave a description of how he 
planted and raised an acre of cabbages. Piled 
high upon the platform by his side were some of the 
largest and finest cabbages I have ever seen. He 
told how and where he had obtained the seed; 
he described his method of preparing and enrich- 
ing the soil, of working the land, and harvesting 
the crop; and he summed up by giving the cost 
of the whole operation. In the course of his ac- 
count of this comparatively simple operation, this 
student had made use of much that he had learned 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, pp. 57-59. 



EDUCATIONAL LEADER 97 

in composition, grammar, mathematics, chemistry, 
and agriculture. He had not merely woven into 
his narrative all these various elements that I 
have referred to, but he had given the audience 
(which was made up largely of colored farmers 
from the surrounding country) some useful and 
practical information in regard to a subject which 
they understood and were interested in. I wish 
that any one who does not believe it possible to 
make a subject like cabbages interesting in a 
commencement oration could have heard the 
hearty cheers which greeted the speaker when, at 
the close of his speech, he held up one of the largest 
cabbages on the platform for the audience to look 
at and admire. As a matter of fact there is just as 
much that is interesting, strange, mysterious and 
wonderful; just as much to be learned that is 
edifying, broadening, and refining in a cabbage 
as there is in a page of Latin. There is, however, 
this distinction; it will make very little difference 
to the world whether one negro boy, more or less, 
learns to construe a page of Latin. On the other 
hand, as soon as one negro boy has been taught to 
apply thought and study and ideas to the growing 
of cabbages, he has started a process which, if it 
goes on and continues, will eventually transform 
the whole face of things as they exist in the South 
to-day." 1 

It can be readily seen from these two accounts 

1 "My Larger Education," by Booker T, Washington, pp. 141-143. 



9 8 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

just what kind of education Washington believed 
in and tried to give his students at Tuskegee. 
It was quite different from most of the training 
that had been given the negro after the war. In 
those early days of freedom, many of the negroes 
seemed to have the idea that the bigger the book 
and the harder the words in it, the better the 
education was that they secured. Some of them 
thought, too, that they were not educated unless 
they studied Latin and Greek and higher mathe- 
matics, and other similar subjects. Booker Wash- 
ington did not mean that history, literature, and 
foreign languages should not be studied and had 
no value. What he was emphasizing was the fact 
that boys and girls should first get a clear idea of 
things about them. Then they would be able 
better to understand and appreciate such subjects 
as history and literature. 

One other feature of the kind of education that 
Tuskegee stands for ought to be mentioned, and 
that is the extension work. This work has become 
a very large part of the Institute. The extension 
work is not so much a matter of teaching, of 
education in the usual sense, as it is an effort to 
give direct and practical help to people outside 
the college walls. Most of this extension work 
has been done in Macon and adjoining counties. 
From the first month of his school, Washington 
began to go into the country round about and 
mingle with his people. He went to their homes, 



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ioo BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

their churches, their schools. He saw their poor 
farms, their lean stock, their dilapidated houses, 
their lack of the comforts and necessities of good 
living. The homes, the churches, the schoolhouses 
were in bad condition. Washington had the 
greatest sympathy for these people, knowing 
why they were in poverty and ignorance, and 
he had a great desire to help them. And it is 
through this extension work that these people are 
helped. 

The Institute sends its workers throughout the 
surrounding country to show the farmers im- 
proved farm machinery, better methods of farm- 
ing, better breeds of live stock of all kinds, better 
methods of dairying, and better ways of preparing 
food, keeping house, and caring for the children. 
They insist on improving the school buildings, 
the churches, and the homes. As a result of this 
work, there are now in Macon County a number 
of neat new schoolhouses, with a teacher's house 
alongside each school, several acres of land ad- 
joining, and a good church close by. Thus clean, 
pleasant, and thoroughly happy communities are 
created. In such communities there is the smallest 
amount of crime, and there is the largest amount 
of prosperity and contentment and enjoyment. 

All the graduates of Tuskegee are enthusiasts 
for education and community builders. Wherever 
they go, they stand for the best in life. They 
are devoted to Tuskegee and its spirit and its 



EDUCATIONAL LEADER 



IOI 



ideals. It is this devotion which makes them in- 
dustrious and capable and law-abiding and helpful 
in every possible way in the communities in which 
they live. Hundreds of small schools have been 
established all over the South by these graduates, 




Tailoring Division, Tuskegee Institute 

patterned on Tuskegee. It is impossible to over- 
estimate the good they have done. 

Tuskegee has grown to be one of the greatest 
schools in the country, and the greatest of all 
schools for the negroes. It has grown from ioo 
acres and three little buildings to a plant of 2100 
acres and in buildings. Instead of one teacher 
with 30 pupils there are now more than 200 teachers 



102 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

and 1500 students. The institution has a large 
endowment, and it owns 20,000 acres of land given 
it by the United States Government. It keeps a 
large dairy herd, runs a large farm, a poultry farm, 
and keeps a large number of pigs, horses and sheep. 
Every phase of education is taught, but the main 
work is industrial, — carpentry, brick masonry, 
basket making, metal working, draughting, auto- 
mechanics, blacksmithing, telegraphy, farming, 
dairying, lumbering, building, cooking, sewing, 
nursing, housekeeping — all these and a large 
number of other callings are taught. It is through 
such training as this that Washington believed 
that the negroes, in largest numbers, would first 
get their best start in life. 

Life is strenuous in this school. Here is an out- 
line of the daily work: '5 a.m., rising bell; 5:50 
a.m., warning breakfast bell; 6:00 a.m., breakfast 
bell; 6:20 a.m., breakfast over; 6:20-6:50 a.m., 
rooms cleaned; 6:50 a.m., work bell; 7:30 a.m., 
morning study hour; 8:20 a.m., morning school 
bell; 8:25 a.m., inspection of young men's dress 
in ranks; 8:40 a.m., devotional exercises in chapel; 
8:55 a.m., 'five minutes with the daily news'; 
9:00 a.m., class work begins; 12:00 m., class 
work ends; 12:15 p.m., dinner; 1:00 p.m., work 
bell; 1:30 p.m., class work begins; 3:30 p.m., class 
work ends; 5:30 p.m., bell to 'knock off' work; 
6:00 p.m., supper; 7:10, p.m., evening prayers ; 7:30 
p.m., evening study hour: 8:45 p.m., evening 



EDUCATIONAL LEADER 103 

study hour closes; 9:20 p.m., warning bell; 9:30 
p.m., retiring bell." l 

Washington has done more for the education 
of the negro than any other one man, white or 
black. His work at Tuskegee, his great educa- 
tional campaigns, and his speeches and writings 
have combined to make his accomplishments of 
supreme value. Not only has he done this for 
the negro, but his work has helped the cause of 
education for the white people very greatly. All 
education in the South was backward. Like his 
great teacher, General Armstrong, Washington 
realized that in their progress the two races 
were bound together in the South, and that they 
must grow or step backward together. It is im- 
possible for the negro to make his best progress 
unless the white man does so at the same time. 
And of course this works both ways. Because he 
believed this, Washington was anxious for school 
conditions for white people to change just as well 
as the school conditions for negroes. Besides, 
he wanted all the people to have the advantages 
of education. He did not hate anybody, and con- 
sequently did not want anybody to be deprived 
of the best there was in life. He did not want 
anybody, white or black, to fail to have his best 
opportunity. So he worked for the advancement of 
the cause of the white schools as well as the black, 
and his services to the white schools were great. 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 314. 



104 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

The future of negro education is very bright. 
Schools and colleges are being built every year. 
Better teachers are being prepared. Children are 
going to school in larger numbers than ever before, 
and their work is more satisfactory. 

Every year the states appropriate more and 
more money for negro education. The negro is 
now able to pay a large part of the cost of his own 
education, and he is very willingly doing so. 

The negro is determined to get an education. 
When he gets it, he will be a better citizen. And 
the better the citizens of a country are, the better 
life is in every way, and the more completely are 
all our problems solved. 



CHAPTER XII 

LEADING HIS PEOPLE 

Immediately following Washington's great 
speech in Atlanta in 1895, there came the state- 
ment from all parts of the country, 'Here is the 
new leader of the negro race." During the last 
years of slavery, and the Civil War, and on for 
years after the war, Frederick Douglass, as has 
been said, was the acknowledged leader of the 
negro in the United States. Douglass had died in 
the early part of the year 1895. It seemed that 
this man Washington had been raised up to take 
his place. The Atlanta speech continued to be a 
topic of discussion throughout the country, and 
coupled with this discussion was invariably the 
statement that here was the new leader of the 
race. 

Washington says that he was at a great loss to 
know what people meant when they referred to 
him as the leader of his people. Of course, this 
leadership was not a thing that he had sought. 
The people thrust this duty upon him, and of 
course no man has a right to shun or dodge re- 
sponsibility that is thus bestowed. 

He was not in doubt long as to what it meant 
to be a leader. One of the first things that hap- 

105 



106 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

pened was the large number of invitations that 
came to him to deliver addresses. These requests 
came from all parts of the country and from all 
sorts of organizations. A very large number of 
these invitations he was compelled to refuse. 
However, when he felt he could serve his in- 
stitution and his people, he always accepted. 
He represented the Negro at the unveiling of the 
monument of R. G. Shaw, in Boston; and at the 
Peace Convention in Chicago in 1898, at which 
time President McKinley spoke. He attended 
most of the large religious gatherings of his people 
throughout the country, and spoke before them. 
Almost immediately there began to pour in on him 
a perfect flood of letters from all parts of the coun- 
try, from white and black, high and low, rich and 
poor, asking a thousand different questions. Now 
it would be a letter from a railroad president 
asking about some problem of dealing with his 
employees; now from a school man asking about 
the segregation of the races in schools. Again, 
from a legislator, asking advice on some legislation ; 
but principally the letters came from his own 
people, asking all sorts of questions about a 
multitude of things. One man wanted Washing- 
ton to use his influence to secure the adoption of 
a flag for the negro race; another wanted his 
backing for a patent medicine that would take the 
curl out of the negro's hair. Another wanted to 
know if the negro race was dying out; another, 



LEADING HIS PEOPLE 107 

if the race was being blended with the white race; 
another, if he thought the negro was being treated 
right politically. Perhaps the most remarkable 
request, however, was from a woman, who wanted 
him to find her husband who had deserted her 
some years before. And in order that he might 
be easily identified she describes him: "This is the 
hith of him 5-6 light eyes dark hair unwave shave 
and a Suprano Voice his age 58 his name Steve." x 

To all of these letters he replied in the fullest 
and frankest and kindest way. 

Whenever there was race friction in the South, 
he was invariably called upon either to go in 
person or to send a message. For example, when 
the Atlanta riots occurred in 1906, Washington 
was in the North. He took the first train South. 
He went among his own people in Atlanta first, 
and then he went to the white people - — to the 
Governor, the Mayor, the leading citizens, minis- 
ters and merchants. Largely through his wise 
counsel and efforts order was restored, and plans 
were made for the future. 

As a spokesman for his people he wrote con- 
stantly for the press. Such papers as the Mont- 
gomery Advertiser, the Atlanta Constitution, the 
New Orleans Picayune, the Louisville Courier 
Journal, the Chicago Inter-Ocean, and the Boston 
and New York papers gladly published his articles. 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, p. 45. 



io8 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

He also contributed frequent articles to the 
weekly journals, such as The Outlook, and to the 
monthly magazines, such as The Century Magazine. 

He carried this phase of his leadership even 
further than the current press, in that he made 
some notable contributions to the historical liter- 
ature of his race. The first book he wrote was 
"Up from Slavery." This is one of the greatest 
pieces of literature published in America. The 
Hon. Walter H. Page, late Ambassador to Great 
Britain, said: "The only books that I have read 
a second time or ever cared to read in the whole 
list (of literature relating to the negro) are 'Uncle 
Remus,' and 'Up from Slavery,' for these are the 
great literature of the subject." l 

Believing the accomplishments of the race 
should be better known to his own people, Wash- 
ington determined to write a history of the Negro. 
' ' The Story of the Negro - - the Rise of the Race 
from Slavery' was the title of the book he wrote, 
setting forth the wonderful progress of his people. 

Other books by him were, "My Larger Educa- 
tion," "Learning with the Hands," — about eleven 
titles in all. These books are of high literary merit, 
and in no other way, perhaps, did Washington so 
definitely place himself as a leader of his people as 
in the realm of authorship. These books, in ad- 
dition to their literary value, were of great benefit 
to the white race as well as to his own race, in 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, Introduction, p. xx. 



LEADING HIS PEOPLE 109 

getting before all the people a proper estimate of 
the real accomplishments of the negro. 

One of the most important phases of his leader- 
ship of the negro was in the organization of the 
National Negro Business League. It was one of 
Washington's strongest beliefs that the negro 
must prove himself able to exist and prosper in 
business matters. The race - - individually and 
collectively — must demonstrate its ability to 
take care of itself in all phases of industrial life. 
Another of his important principles was that the 
negro should emphasize his opportunities rather 
than his drawbacks. As he went about the coun- 
try, he noted the wonderful progress made by the 
negro in all lines of business. He felt that it would 
be a great inspiration to those who had achieved 
success or leadership to know each other, and a 
still greater encouragement to all the people if 
they knew the real progress being made. Acting 
upon these ideas, he called a meeting of repre- 
sentatives of a large number of businesses to be 
held in Boston, in August, 1900. Here was organ- 
ized the National Negro Business League. Wash- 
ington was made president and continued to hold 
this office until his death in 191 5. 

The organization brought together from year to 
year all the representative negro business men of 
the country. They made reports of their progress 
and planned for future advancement. The league 
has been a wonderful factor in the development of 



no BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

the business life of the negro. Several other 
organizations, such as the Negro Press Association, 
the Negro Bar Association, the Negro Funeral 
Directors' Association, and others have grown 
out of this league. It was through this league, as 
perhaps through no other agency, that the negro 
learned of his own great wealth, of his success in 
banking, in manufacturing, in merchandise, in 
the undertaking business, and in a large number 
of other industries. It gave him a wonderful pride 
in the accomplishments of his race. He knew 
that the negro was proving to the world that he 
possessed all the elements necessary for handling 
any phase of his economic life. He could take care 
of himself in the business world. 

Washington did a great deal for the negro farmer. 
It has already been pointed out how he served the 
people of his county, and how the extension work 
of the Institute was used to help the farmer. In 
addition to this he organized the Tuskegee Negro 
Conference. In the beginning, this was a sort of 
agricultural experience meeting on a large scale. 
The good farmers from all the surrounding country 
were brought in, and each was asked to relate his 
successful experience. Every phase of farm life 
was covered. Every person present was profited 
by the experience and the success of his neighbor. 
This conference has greatly broadened in scope 
and has grown to be of large proportions and great 
influence. 



LEADING HIS PEOPLE in 

Washington was truly the Moses of his people, 
as Andrew Carnegie had said. He led them with 
great wisdom in their thought and their conduct. 
He was their spokesman, their interpreter. He 
guided them to higher and better things. He made 
the white man and the negro know each other 
better and understand each other better. He 
lessened the friction between the races and in- 
creased the good will. He brought encouragement 
and inspiration to his own race and gained the 
sympathy and cooperation of the white race. 
Everywhere he opposed ignorance and prejudice 
and injustice in any form. Because of his wisdom 
and tact as a leader, not only the negro but the 
entire nation was helped. 



CHAPTER XIII 

POLITICAL EXPERIENCES 

Most of the negroes who gained any promi- 
nence or influence in the years just after the Civil 
War entered politics. Bruce and Revels had been 
United States Senators; Elliott and Smalls and a 
dozen others had been Congressmen; Pinchback, 
Lynch, Langston, Gibbs, and Greener had been 
sent for diplomatic service to foreign countries, 
and others had held high State offices; and a 
multitude of negroes had been county and city 
officials of various kinds. 

Everybody expected Washington to accept some 
kind of political position, but he steadfastly re- 
fused. Time after time, men of his own race and 
white men urged him to run for office, or accept 
an appointment by the President to high office. 
This he absolutely refused to do. He said that his 
service, whatever it was worth, would be given, 
not in politics but in education. He believed that 
entirely too much emphasis had been placed on 
holding office by the negro, just after the war. 
He was more concerned about whether or not his 
people could have the opportunity to earn an 
honest living than he was about getting some 
political job. 

112 



POLITICAL EXPERIENCES 113 

He was often misunderstood about his ideas on 
holding office and the whole question of the part 
the negro should take in politics; for he was con- 
vinced that there were other things far more im- 
portant at that time to the negro than the matter 
of voting. 

There was one phase of politics, however, that 
Washington did keep in close touch with. This 
can be best explained by giving some of his cor- 
respondence. 

" Theodore Roosevelt, immediately after taking 
the oath of office as President of the United States, 
in Buffalo, after the death of President McKinley, 
wrote Mr. Washington the following note: 

Buffalo, N. Y. 
September 14, 1901. 
Dear Mr. Washington : 

I write you at once to say that to my deep regret 
my visit South must now be given up. 

When are you coming North? I must see you 
as soon as possible. I want to talk over the ques- 
tion of possible appointments in the South exactly 
on the lines of our last conversation together. 

I hope my visit to Tuskegee is merely deferred 

for a short season. 

Faithfully yours, 

(Signed) Theodore Roosevelt. 

t 

Booker T. Washington, Esq. 
Tuskegee, Ala. 

" In response 10 the above note Mr. Washington 
went to the White House and discussed with the 



ii4 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

President 'possible future appointments in the 
South.'" 1 

Immediately following this conference with the 
President, there was a vacant judgeship in Ala- 
bama which gave the President an opportunity 
to carry out his ideas about Southern appoint- 
ments. He called upon Washington for advice, 
and Washington, being unable to go himself at the 
time, sent his secretary, Emmett J. Scott, to 
Washington as his representative. Largely upon 
the recommendation of Washington, Judge George 
Jones, a Democrat, was appointed to this position. 
This was an event of great significance indeed, 
when a Republican President of the United States 
appointed a Southern Democrat to office. It was 
done in accordance with the ideas of both the 
President and Washington, — that only men of the 
highest fitness, regardless of color or party, should 
receive appointment. 

From this time on, Washington was one of the 
President's chief advisers in Southern appoint- 
ments. 

President Roosevelt, of course, appointed many 
negroes also. He believed that, when negroes 
possessed the proper qualifications for offices, they 
should have a share in them. Washington did 
not try to get very many negroes appointed, but 
he did try to get the very best negro when one was 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, p. 49. 



POLITICAL EXPERIENCES 115 

appointed. In other words, he was trying to im- 
prove the quality rather than increase the quantity 
of negro officeholders. After one of Washington's 
speeches, in which he laid special emphasis on this 
idea, President Roosevelt sent him the following 
letter: 

My dear Washington : 

That is excellent; and you have put epigram- 
matically just what I am doing — that is, though 
I have rather reduced the quantity, I have done my 
best to raise the quality of Negro appointments. 

With high regards, 

Sincerely yours, 
Theodore Roosevelt. 1 

Throughout the administrations of President 
Roosevelt and President Taft, Washington was 
constantly called into conference and rendered a 
lasting service to his own race and to the people 
of the country in giving wise counsel, not only 
about politics but about a great many things per- 
taining to the welfare of his people. 

Washington was often criticized very severely 
by members of his own race for his position with 
reference to voting. His ideas on this question 
are well stated in the following quotation: 

"I am often asked to express myself more 
freely than I do upon the political condition and 
the polit'cal future of my race. . . . My own 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, p. 56. 



u6 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

belief is, although I have never before said so in 
so many words, that the time will come when the 
negro in the South will be accorded all the political 
rights which his ability, character, and material 
possessions entitle him to. I think, though, that 
the opportunity to freely exercise such political 
rights will not come in any large degree through 
outside or artificial forcing, but will be accorded 
to the negro by the Southern white people them- 
selves, and that they will protect him in the 
exercise of these rights. Just as soon as the South 
gets over the feeling that it is being forced by 
'foreigners' or 'aliens' to do something which it 
does not want to do, I believe that the change in 
the direction that I have indicated is going to 
begin." l 

Again he says: "I contend that, in relation to 
his vote, the negro should more and more consider 
the interests of the community in which he lives, 
rather than seek alone to please some one who 
lives a thousand miles from him and his interests." 2 

While he believed, theoretically, in universal, 
free suffrage, he very frankly admitted that the 
peculiar conditions existing in the South made it 
necessary to put restrictions upon the ballot. He 
was opposed, however, to any discriminations in 
the law; and he urged with all his power that the 
negro be given good educa ional and business 

1 "Up from Slavery," by Booker T. Washington, p. 234. 

2 Ibid., p. 202. 



POLITICAL EXPERIENCES 117 

advantages, so that he might fit himself for the 
full responsibilities and duties of life. 

Washington himself never had any trouble 
about voting. He always registered and always 
voted, and no one ever raised an objection to his 
doing so. 



CHAPTER XIV 

VISITS TO EUROPE 

Washington was a great traveler. He was 
away from his home at least half of each year and 
often more than that. He traveled principally in 
the North, making speeches and interviewing 
people who might help Tuskegee. While on these 
trips, he did most of his reading and writing. He 
was very fond of newspapers and magazines. 
When he started on a long journey, he surrounded 
himself with a large number of papers and maga- 
zines and books, which he thoroughly enjoyed. 
History was his favorite field of reading outside 
of newspapers and magazines. He was especially 
fond of biography — of reading about real men, 
men of action and thought and great talents. 
Much of his greatest inspiration as a boy came 
from reading the lives of great men. Lincoln was 
his greatest hero. He said that he had read practi- 
cally every recorded word of Lincoln's. 

Washington also did much of his writing on 
these trips. He kept his stenographer with him 
all the time, and, when he was not reading, he was 
usually dictating a speech, or a letter, or an article 
for a magazine. A large part of his greatest book, 
Up from Slavery," was written while he was on 

118 



a 



VISITS TO EUROPE 



119 



the train or waiting at stations between trains. It 
is remarkable that he should have been able to 
accomplish so much under such circumstances, for 
traveling was hard work. He often had to get up 
in the middle of the night to catch a train and then 
ride all day, often 
without Pullman ac- 
commodations. He 
said that he had 
slept in three dif- 
ferent beds in one 
night, so broken 
was his rest and so 
often did he have 
to change trains 
in order to keep 
engagements. Un- 
doubtedly it was 
this hard traveling 
that helped to break 
down his great 

Strength and wear Booker T. Washington, First Prin- 

him OUt CIPAL OF TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE 

In 1899 he made a speech in Boston, and some 
of his friends noticed that he seemed extremely 
tired. He remained in Boston several days. 
One day during his stay a friend asked him if he 
had ever been to Europe. He replied that he had 
not. He was asked very casually whether he 
thought that he would enjoy a trip to Europe. 




120 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

He said that he certainly would, but he did not 
ever expect to have such a pleasure. A day or 
two later some of his friends came to him and told 
him they had a little surprise for him, that they 
had made arrangements for him and his wife to 
go to Europe in the summer and spend several 
months on a vacation. 

Washington was very greatly surprised. He 
thanked his friends very cordially for their in- 
terest but told them that he could not afford to 
take the trip. Whereupon they told him that all 
the money for the expenses of the trip had already 
been raised, and that it would not cost him a cent. 
He thanked them again very sincerely but told 
them he could not think of leaving his work that 
long, — that money had to be raised for Tuske- 
gee, and that he had to stay right on the job to 
get it. Then they told him that a group of his 
friends had already raised enough money to keep 
Tuskegee going until he got back. He then gave 
another excuse. He was afraid people would say 
that he was ' ' stuck up " ; that since he had made 
some success in the world he was trying to show 
off and play the big man. His friends told him that 
sensible people would not think such a thing, 
and that he need not bother about the people who 
had no sense. Washington thought, too, that he 
had no right to quit work so long. He had worked 
all his life. There was a world of work yet he had 
to do. To go off on a vacation of several months, 



VISITS TO EUROPE 121 

when there was so much to be done, and when 
other people were at work, seemed wrong to him. 
But he realized finally that a reasonable amount 
of rest, when one is tired, means more and better 
work in the long run. 

So it came about that, on May 10, 1899, Wash- 
ington and his wife went aboard the ship Friesland 
in New York harbor and sailed for Europe. It 
was a wonderful experience for Washington. In 
the first place, as he went aboard the ship, he re- 
ceived a message from two of his friends telling 
him that they had decided to give him the money 
to build a magnificent new building at Tuskegee. 
That was a good 'send-off." Washington was 
a bit uneasy about how people would treat him 
aboard ship. He knew what unfortunate experi- 
ences some members of his race had had in times 
past. But the captain received him cordially, 
and everybody on board was exceedingly courteous 
to him and to his wife in every way. 

Washington on his way to Europe! It seemed 
to him like a dream. Again and again he had 
thought of Europe, — much as he did of heaven, - 
a goodly place, but far away. It had never even 
occurred to him that he would ever go to Europe. 
And now he was on his way ! He was like a school- 
boy; he was happy over the prospect of a wonder- 
ful trip. 

He did not get seasick on the voyage, as most 
of the passengers did. The weather was fine, and 



122 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

he had a glorious voyage. But he did not know 
how tired and worn out he was until he relaxed. 
About the second day he began to sleep, and he 
says that from then on until they landed he 
slept at least fifteen hours every day. He con- 
tinued the habit of long hours devoted to sleep 
all the time he was gone, and it was one of 
the means by which he restored his depleted 
strength. 

After a fine voyage of ten days, they landed at 
Antwerp, a famous old city of Belgium. Here they 
spent a few quiet days, finding it extremely in- 
teresting to observe the people with their dress 
and manners and customs, different from any- 
thing they had ever seen before. 

Then they went on a delightful journey through 
the picturesque country of Holland. Washington, 
always interested in farming and especially dairy 
farming, was greatly delighted on this trip. On 
every hand were the wonderful farms of the 
Dutch. He had never seen such intensive cultiva- 
tion of land. Every foot of ground was used. 
Vegetables were grown in boxes, one row above 
another, on the back porches of the houses, so 
precious was the scarce land. Ten or twelve acres 
was a good big farm. Coming from a country 
where land is so abundant and cheap and so ex- 
travagantly wasted and so carelessly cultivated, 
these beautiful farms were a delight to him. And 
the herds of fine Holstein cattle pleased him im- 



VISITS TO EUROPE 123 

mensely. He loved cows; and these seemed to be 
the finest herds he had ever seen in his life. 

Out of Holland and back into the historic and 
now heroic Belgium, the party went, going to 
Waterloo, the famous battlefield of Napoleon's 
defeat, and to other places of interest; and from 
here to Paris, the gayest and brightest of all the 
cities of Europe, the capital of France. 

While in Paris, Washington met a number of 
distinguished Americans. He made two or three 
important speeches and was given a reception by 
the American ambassador at Paris. He met ex- 
President Harrison, General Horace Porter, our 
ambassador, Justices Fuller and Harlan, of the 
United States Supreme Court, and other dis- 
tinguished men, all of whom were most cordial 
and friendly. 

The American whom he found most interesting 
in Paris, however, was a negro — Henry O. Tan- 
ner. Tanner is an artist, a painter. He is the 
son of the beloved Bishop Tanner and was born in 
America. He showed marked talent for painting 
in his youth. When he grew up, he determined 
to go to the greatest city in the world for art. He 
went to Paris and became so successful in his 
work that he has continued to live there. He has 
several paintings in the Louvre, the greatest and 
most exclusive art gallery in the world. A picture 
cannot be put in the Louvre unless it is recognized 
and accepted as a great work of art. Washington 



124 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

spent much time with Tanner and was greatly 
pleased to see what marked success had been won 
by this American negro. He took it as proof of 
his contention that, when a negro proves himself 
really worthy, he will be recognized and honored, 
for Tanner enjoyed the esteem and regard of all 
his associates, regardless of race. And they es- 
teemed him because of his worth, and not because 
of his color. 

From Paris the Washingtons went to London. 
Here they visited many places of historic interest, 
— the British Museum, Westminster Abbey, St. 
Paul's, and the House of Commons. They met 
many interesting people, - - the Duke and Duchess 
of Sutherland, Joseph H. Choate, American am- 
bassador to England, Henry M. Stanley, the 
great African explorer, with whom Washington 
conversed at length. They were also received by 
Queen Victoria, at Windsor Castle. 

It had been a wonderful trip. Washington had 
learned many lessons from the Old World. He 
had seen and talked with men who helped him in 
the better understanding of his own great task. 
He had had a wonderfully good time. He was 
thoroughly rested — a new man. He plunged 
into his work again upon his return with great 
vigor and enthusiasm. 

Washington made two other trips to Europe 
during his lifetime. The second one was largely 
like the first — a trip for recreation and pleasure 



VISITS TO EUROPE 125 

and rest. But the third trip was undertaken with 
a serious purpose. He wanted to see how the 
poor people of Europe lived, and how their living 
conditions compared with those of the working- 
man in the United States. He was particularly 
anxious to see how conditions there compared 
with those affecting the negro population of the 
South. He also wanted to see whether or not he 
could find anything in Europe that would justify 
the system of education he had established at 
Tuskegee. So this time he left the usual highways 
of travel and went far into the interior, visiting 
the peasant in his hut, in the remotest regions of 
the country, - - the miner toiling underground, the 
laborer in the quarry, and the poor man at his 
work whatever it was and wherever he could be 
found. He visited the farms in the remote parts 
of Poland, Austria, and Italy. He went to the 
sulphur mines in Campo Franco. At Catania he 
saw the grape harvest and the men barelegged, 
treading the wine press as they did in Bible times. 
In a very remote part of Poland, away up in 
the mountains, he stopped at a little thatched- 
roof cottage. Desiring to see how the place looked 
on the inside, he knocked at the door. In response 
a man opened the door, and Washington said 
something to him in English, thinking, of course, 
that the man would not understand, but that he 
would be able to see inside the hut. To his utter 
astonishment, the man answered him in English. 



126 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

Upon further conversation, he found that this man 
had once lived in Detroit, Michigan. 

When he was in the mines at Campo Franco, 
Sicily, he by chance met a man who had once 
worked in the mines near Maiden, West Virginia, 
where Washington himself had worked when a 
boy. The world is not such a big place after all! 

As a result of his observations of conditions in 
Europe, Washington came to the conclusion that 
the negro in the South is, generally speaking, in 
far better condition than the peasant of Europe. 
He also noted that, wherever conditions were 
fairly good, where the natives owned the land and 
had developed reasonably good farming con- 
ditions, there was no emigration from that region 
to America. But where conditions were bad, 
where farms were not well kept, where the people 
were not permitted or encouraged to own their 
own homes, from such sections there was always 
much emigration to America. In other words, 
good local conditions, land ownership, good schools, 
and so on, tended to make the people happy, con- 
tented, and desirous of remaining where they 
were. In this fact he saw a great lesson for his 
own people. He believed that the South is the 
home of the negro, that here it is possible for him 
to do his best. He was, therefore, tremendously 
anxious for the negroes to learn how to cultivate 
the soil to the best possible advantage, to buy 
land, to build schools, to establish churches, and 



VISITS TO EUROPE 127 

in every way to become real citizens of the country 
where they were. 

Washington wrote an interesting book describ- 
ing all that he saw and learned on this trip. It is 
called, "The Man Farthest Down." As stated 
before, he pointed out that there were many, many 
people "farther down" than the American negro; 
that compared to most of the people of Europe, 
he ought to be exceedingly thankful that his con- 
dition is as good as it is. Of course he did not 
mean by this that conditions with the negro were 
what they ought to be; but that the negro should 
be thankful for the progress that he has made; 
that he should take courage, and go forward to 
better things. 

The most interesting experience of this trip to 
Europe was his visit to the King and Queen of 
Denmark, at Copenhagen. On his first visit to 
the palace he was received by the King.* Wash- 
ington was much impressed by the King's cordial- 
ity and simplicity, by his knowledge of America, 
and by his acquaintance even with the work 
Washington was doing at Tuskegee. At the close 
of the interview, the King invited him to dine at 
the palace that night. 

Now the invitation of a king is the same as a 
command, and one is always expected to accept. 
Of course Washington was delighted to accept this 
invitation. 

Washington spent the rest of the day preceding 



128 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

the dinner hour visiting the country people near 
Copenhagen. He was late getting home, and he 
was terrified when he realized that he might be 
late for dinner. To keep the King and Queen wait- 
ing would be a terrible offense. He dressed as 
rapidly as he could. But in his haste, he pulled his 
necktie to pieces, — the only one he had fit for 
the occasion! He pinned it together the best he 
could and put it on; but he says that he was in 
great distress throughout the dinner lest the tie 
come to pieces again. 

He reached the palace just in time for the 
dinner. He was taken directly to the King, who 
led him to where the Queen was standing, and 
presented him to her. She was very cordial and 
gracious. She spoke English perfectly ; and Wash- 
ington was again surprised to find that she, too, 
was thoroughly familiar with affairs in the United 
States, and that she also knew about Tuskegee. 

There was a very distinguished group of people 
present. The dinner was given in the magnificent 
Summer Palace, and everything was truly royal 
in its elegance and splendor. Washington says, 
"As I ate food for the first time in my life out of 
gold dishes, I could not but recall the time when 
as a slave boy I ate my syrup from a tin plate." 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, p. 157. 



CHAPTER XV 

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON: THE MAN 

Booker Washington at home, with his wife 
and children, his garden, his chickens, his pigs, 
his horses and cows, is far more interesting than 
Washington the orator, the writer, the teacher, 
the traveler, the college principal. 

No man ever loved his home more than Washing- 
ton. He had to be away from it much of the time. 
He was away at least half of each year. This was 
a great hardship to him, and just as often as was 
possible he got away from his exacting duties and 
returned to Tuskegee to find rest and quiet and 
comfort and joy with his own family. 

He was an early riser, when at home, getting 
up always at 6 o'clock. His first morning task 
was to gather the fresh eggs. He was very fond 
of chickens and always kept a number of them. 
"I begin my day," he says, "by seeing how many 
eggs I can find, or how many little chicks there 
are that are just beginning to creep through the 
shells. ... I like to find the new eggs myself, and 
I am selfish enough to permit no one else to do 
this. . . ."i 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, p. 307. 

129 



130 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

He was very fond of animals of all kinds, but 
the pig was his favorite. He always kept a num- 
ber of the very finest breeds of Berkshires and 
Poland Chinas. After gathering the fresh eggs, his 
next job was feeding the pigs. After that came 
a visit to the cows. He always kept a good garden, 
too, and a part of the early morning was given 
to working in it. He had a very peculiar custom 
or idea about his garden work. He always worked 
barefooted. He said that there was something 
in the soil that gave one strength and health and 
power, — but you had to get it by direct contact 
with the soil. 

After this early morning round of work was 
done, he mounted his horse for an hour's ride. 
He usually rode over the college farm and thor- 
oughly inspected it; then to the dairy, and all 
over .the college grounds, to see that everything 
was going as it should. 

After breakfast, he went to his office and gave 
his attention to the day's mail, which averaged 
daily about 125 incoming and 800 outgoing letters. 
Later in the day he would visit classrooms, in- 
spect the building that was going on, go to the 
great dining hall at dinner, go to the shops, talk 
to the students and to the members of the faculty 
as he met them. Just before supper he would call 
for his horse again and go off for an hour's ride or 
for a hunt. Sometimes he would walk rather than 
ride. While on these walks, he would often run 



THE MAN 131 

for a couple of miles at top speed. After supper, 
there was usually a meeting of some kind, — a 
committee or faculty meeting, or conference with 
a delegation of visitors. Chapel exercises, de- 
votional in character, came at 8:30. And after 
that, very frequently, there was an inspection of 
the dormitories. 

He had three children, Portia, Booker, and 
Davidson. One of his greatest pleasures was to 
take the children for a long walk on Sunday after- 
noons. They would tramp for miles through the 
fields and woods, gathering flowers or nuts or 
berries. They studied the trees, the flowers, and 
the birds. They waded in the streams, ran foot- 
races, and played games. 

Every night after supper he would romp and 
play with the children. He would roll on the floor, 
let the children ride on his back, play all sorts of 
jolly games, or he would tell stories. He was an 
excellent story-teller, and it was always a treat 
to hear the wonderful tales he could tell. 

Washington was married three times. His first 
wife, as stated in a previous chapter, was Fannie 
M. Smith, of Maiden, who died in 1884, leav- 
ing a daughter, Portia. The second marriage 
was to Olivia Davidson, who had been a teacher 
at Tuskegee from its beginning. She had been of 
wonderful assistance to Washington in the early 
days of Tuskegee. She was the mother of the 
two boys, Booker, Jr., and Davidson. His third 



i 3 2 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

marriage was to Margaret Murray, of Mississippi, 
a graduate of Fisk University and for several 
years a teacher at Tuskegee. This marriage oc- 
curred in 1892. Mrs. Washington has had a very 
useful and distinguished career. No woman of 
her race has helped her people so much in recent 




Booker T. Washington and His Family 

years. She will be remembered not merely as the 
wife of Booker Washington, but for her own re- 
markable service to her people. 

Washington was a man of unusual personal ap- 
pearance. From the description that James Creel- 
man gave of him on the occasion of his famous 



THE MAN 133 

speech in Atlanta, it can readily be seen that he 
was a man of commanding and striking person- 
ality. Wherever he went he attracted attention. 

He was an untiring worker. He went at tre- 
mendous speed all the time. He could do as much, 
as a rule, as three or four ordinary men. He kept 
a stenographer with him all the time. As he went 
about the grounds he would dictate suggestions 
and ideas for changes and improvements. He 
would often awaken his stenographer at night to 
dictate a letter or a speech or a statement for the 
papers. In this way he never overlooked an 
important thought or idea that occurred to him, 
and his ideas were always taken down while fresh 
and vivid in his mind. He often confounded his 
faculty by his tremendous energy. He would call 
them in and lay out enough work for them to keep 
busy for a week and, then, almost before they 
could get started, demand results. He could 
work so fast himself and do so much, he never 
realized that it took other people longer to finish 
a task. 

He had a very active mind. He could think 
quickly. He was also a good judge of men and 
knew the worth of a man almost at sight. When 
any subject was presented to him, he would arrive 
at conclusions quickly and accurately. 

As he grew older, he exhibited a certain amount 
of absentmindedness, due, perhaps, to concentra- 
tion of mind. He would meet his best friends on 



134 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

the street and not speak to them. He was so pre- 
occupied by his thinking that he simply did not 
recognize folks when he met them. 

Washington was a proud and independent man. 
Many people thought he was conceited. He was 
far too great a man for that. He was not vain 
and he was not ashamed of himself or his race. 
He held his head high. He could not be cowed. 
He had great self-confidence. He knew his abili- 
ties and powers and thought it his duty to appraise 
them properly. This he did in a very intelligent 
and sensible way. But he was not boastful; in 
fact, he was very humble. Many of the things 
which he said and did that were often taken for 
personal vanity and boastfulness were not personal 
at all but were evidences of his pride in his race. 

Washington had great sympathy for the un- 
fortunate. He was constantly bringing up in 
faculty meeting the case of some poor negro who 
was in distress, — who couldn't pay the rent, was 
without food or clothes, or was in hard luck in 
some way. He insisted that these people be helped 
regardless of how they came to be in their un- 
fortunate condition. Scarcely a day passed that 
he did not give aid to some one who needed it. 

There was an old, crack-brained preacher who 
would come to the Institute and speak by the hour 
right outside the office, but Washington would 
not let him be disturbed and always gave him a 
little contribution. 



THE MAN i 35 

There was another old negro who had great 
ability in getting contributions from Washington. 
"One day, when Washington was driving down 
the main street of Tuskegee behind a pair of fast 
and spirited horses, this old man rushed out into 
the street and stopped him as though he had a 
matter of the greatest urgency to impart to him. 
When Mr. Washington had with difficulty reined 
his horses and asked him what he wanted, the old 
man said breathlessly, Tse got a tirkey for yo' 
Thanksgivin' ! ' 

'"How much does it weigh?' inquired Mr. 
Washington. 

Twelve to fifteen pounV 
After thanking the old man warmly, Mr. 
Washington started to drive on, when the old 
fellow added, ' I jest wants to borrow a dollar for 
to fatten yo' tirkey for you ! ' 

"With a laugh, Mr. Washington handed the 
old man a dollar, and drove on. He never could 
be made to feel that by these spontaneous gener- 
osities he was encouraging thrift lessness and men- 
dicancy. He was incorrigible in his unscientific 
open-handedness with the poor, begging older 
members of his race." 1 

"Old man Harry Varner was the night watch- 
man of the school in its early days, and a man 
upon whom Mr. Washington very much depended. 

^'Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, p. 144. 



a 1 
1 i 



136 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

He lived in a cabin opposite the school grounds. 
After hearing many talks about the importance 
of living in a real house instead of a one or two 
room cabin, old Uncle Harry finally decided that 
he must have a real house. Accordingly he came 
to his employer, told him his feeling in the matter, 
and laid before him his meagre savings, which he 
had determined to spend for a real house. Mr. 
Washington went with him to select the lot and 
added enough out of his own pocket to the scant 
savings to enable the old man to buy a cow and a 
pig and a garden plot as well as the house. From 
then on, for weeks, he and old Uncle Harry would 
have long and mysterious conferences over the 
planning of that little four-room cottage. It is 
doubtful if Mr. Washington ever devoted more 
time or thought to p 1 anning any of the great 
buildings of the Institute. No potentate was ever 
half as proud of his palace as Uncle Harry of his 
four-room cottage, when it was finally finished and 
painted and stood forth in all its glory to be ad- 
mired of all men. And Booker Washington was 
scarcely less proud than Uncle Harry. 

" With Uncle Harry Varner, 'Old man' Brannum, 
the original cook of the school, and Lewis Adams, of 
the town of Tuskegee, whom Mr. Washington men- 
tions in 'Up from Slavery,' as one of his chief ad- 
visers, all unlettered-before-the-war negroes, his re- 
lationship was always particularly intimate. These 
three old men enjoyed the confidence of the white 



THE MAN 137 

people of the town of Tuskegee to an unusual 
extent and often acted as ambassadors of good 
will between the head of the school and his white 
neighbors, when from time to time the latter 
showed a disposition to look askance at the rapidly 
growing institution on the hill beyond the town. 

"Another intimate friend of Mr. Washington's 
was Charles L. Diggs, known affectionately on the 
school grounds as 'Old man' Diggs. The old man 
had been body servant to a Union officer in the 
Civil War, and after the war had been carried to 
Boston, where he became the butler in a fashion- 
able Back Bay family When Mr. Washington 
first visited Boston, as an humble and obscure 
young negro school-teacher, pleading for his strug- 
gling school, he met Diggs, and Diggs succeeded in 
interesting his employers in the sincere and earnest 
young teacher. When, years afterward, the In- 
stitute had grown to the dignity of needing stew- 
ards, Mr. Washington employed his old friend as 
steward of the Teachers' Home. In all the years 
thereafter hardly a day passed when Mr. Washing- 
ton was at the school without having some kind 
of powwow with 'O'd man' Diggs regarding some 
matter affecting the interests of the school. 

"To the despair of his family Booker Washing- 
ton seemed to go out of his way to find forlorn old 
people whom he could befriend. He sent pro- 
visions weekly to an humble old black couple from 
whom he had bought a tract of land for the school. 



138 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

He did the same for old Aunt Harriet and her deaf, 
dumb, and lame son, except that to them he pro- 
vided fuel as well. On any particularly cold day, 
he would send one or more students over to Aunt 
Harriet's to find out if she and her poor helpless 
son were comfortable. Also every Sunday after- 
noon, to the joy of this pathetic couple, a partic- 
ularly appetizing Sunday dinner unfailingly made 
its appearance. And these were only a few of the 
pensioners and semipensioners whom Booker 
Washington accumulated as he went about his 

kindly way." x 

Washington had the capacity of making friends. 
He had the gift of friendship. His white friends 
were as numerous and staunch as were those of his 
own race. His close friendship with such men 
as William H. Baldwin, Jr., H. H. Rogers, and 
others has already been mentioned. It would be 
unfair to him and to them to leave the impression 
that their relations were merely those of bene- 
factor and beggar. They were friends as man to 
man. Washington and Roosevelt were friends in 

the same way. 

It would be unfairer still to leave the impression 
that Washington's friends were rich men only and 
men in the North only. This was not the case. 
Perhaps his strongest friends were in the South, 
many of whom were not in the public eye. He 

1 "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization," by Scott and 
Stowe, pp. 145-147. 



THE MAN 



139 



himself records the fact that few men in his entire 
career were of such genuine help to him as Captain 
Howard, conductor on the W. & A. Railroad. He 
did not have an enemy in his own town of 
Tuskegee. All through the South were men 
whom Washington 
counted among his 
warmest personal 
friends. 

Among his own 
people, he was no 
less fortunate in 
his friendships. He 
knew and loved 
Moton and Scott 
and Banks and Car- 
ver and Fortune 
and Scarborough, 
and a great host of 
others. All these 
were his most loyal 
and devoted 
friends. But none 
of these were really 
any closer to him than "Old man" Diggs or Rufus 
Herron or many a lowly man of Macon County. 
There was such sincerity, such a genuineness about 
this man that all true men were drawn to him. 

Washington had a keen sense of humor. This is 
the reason he was always so even-tempered, He 




Robert Russa Moton, Successor to 
Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee 



140 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

kept perfect control of himself at all times, and 
it was largely his sense of humor that enabled him 
to do so. He saw the ridiculous side of things. 
He could tell perfectly side-splitting stories, par- 
ticularly about his own people. These stories were 
always clean and without a sting, and always had 
some point to them. He was thoroughly good- 
natured, and every one in his presence felt re- 
freshed and happy by reason of having come in 
contact with him. 

He had a strong sense of justice. He believed 
the problems of the white race as well as those of 
the black race must be settled on a basis of justice, 
if they were ever to be settled right. The fact 
that he constantly spoke of justice and fair dealing 
toward the white race showed that there was no 
color boundary to this great attribute of his 
character. He was not quarrelsome; he did not 
hate ; he did not lose his temper when he saw in- 
justice being done to his people However, he 
never did condone such injustice; he was ever 
ready to denounce it. He labored unceasingly to 
bring about a mutual understanding between the 
two races and to inspire in his own race those 
principles which he saw with such clear vision. 
He said that the negro ought to put more time on 
improving his opportunities than crying over his 
disadvantages. He believed that the first and most 
important thing was for the negro to become well 
prepared for the ballot, and by and by he would 



THE MAN 



141 



get it. He argued that the negroes should work 
and save and study and conduct themselves in the 
proper way, and that in course of time recognition 
would come to them. Sooner or later, the right, 
the just thing, would prevail, and the important 
thing for the negro was to know he was right. 




Booker T. Washington and His Grandchildren 

Washington had the courage to denounce those 
members of his own race, particularly some of 
the ministers, who did not live as they should. 
This was a bold thing to do and brought much 
criticism upon him, but, in the long run, it was a 
great service to his race and to the whole country. 

In spite of the fact that Washington was a man 
of unusual health and strength, his hard work 
and the great responsibilities he carried began 



142 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON 

finally to tell on him. But he kept on. He had 
wonderful will power, and he would drive himself 
to his work from day to day, when other men 
would have taken to their beds. He could not 
admit to himself that he was losing strength. 
Right up to the last, he did an enormous amount 
of work. 

In the early fall of 191 5, he went North to de- 
liver an address before the National Council of 
Congregational Churches, held in New Haven, 
Connecticut. Although he had not been entirely 
well for some time, no one had any idea that he was 
seriously ill. Shortly after the address in New 
Haven, he collapsed. His friends in New York 
City had him removed to St. Luke's Hospital 
there. 

The physicians made a careful examination and 
frankly told him that he was critically ill and could 
live but a few hours. When he learned that he 
must die, he insisted on starting for home at once. 
The doctors told him that he could not go; that 
it would mean certain death; that he could not 
live through the journey. His reply was: "I was 
born in the South, I have lived and labored in the 
South, and I expect to die and be buried in the 
South." 

Arrangements were hurriedly made for the 
journey to Tuskegee. No one believed that he 
would reach there alive. One of the doctors had 
said that it was " uncanny to see a man up and 



THE MAN 143 

about who ought, by all the laws of nature, to be 
dead." When they reached the railway station 
in New York a rolling chair had been provided for 
Washington, but he refused to use it and walked 
to the train leaning on the arms of his friends. 

As the train pulled out and headed for his be- 
loved Southland, his spirits began to revive, and 
he seemed much stronger. He was determined 
to beat death in this race. As they journeyed on, 
he would ask the names of the stations. When 
he was told that they were passing Greensboro, 
a triumphant look came into his eyes. Charlotte, 
Greenville, Atlanta --he was winning! Finally 
they came to Chehaw, the little station five miles 
from Tuskegee, the junction point of the railroad 
from Tuskegee to the main line. 

A few more minutes, and he saw the familiar 
and much loved scenes of his own Tuskegee. 

He had won! 

But his victory was a short one. For when the 
sun came up on the next morning, the fourteenth 
day of November, 191 5, Booker Washington was 
dead. 



INDEX 



Alabama Hall, 69-70. 

Alabama Legislature, 45, 75. 

Armstrong, Gen. S. C., accom- 
panies Washington on tour, 70; 
founder of Hampton, 23-24; 
invites Washington as com- 
mencement speaker, 32, 77; 
sends Washington to Tuskegee, 
45; sketch of, 22. 

Atlanta Constitution, 81. 

Atlanta Speech, 79-81. 

Baldwin, William H. Jr., Presi- 
dent of Board of Trustees, 
Tuskegee Institute, 73, 138. 

Belgium, Washington's visit to, 
122. 

Books, written by Washington, 
108. 

Buildings, first at Tuskegee, 50- 

51,58. 
Bulloch, Gov., of Ga., 81. 
Business League, National Negro, 

109. 

Cabbages, an oration on, 96. 

Cabin, description of a, 3. 

Capital, campaign for removal, 
W. Va., 37. 

Carnegie, Andrew, 71, 73, III. 

Carney, Sergeant William H., 85. 

Chicago Peace Convention, 106. 

"Chopping bee," 52. 

Coal mine, 12-13. 

Coat, sale of, 28. 

Commencement exercises at Tus- 
kegee, 93-95. 

Copenhagen, Washington's visit 
to, 127. 

Corner stone, first building at 
Tuskegee, 59-60. 

Cotton States Exposition, 78. 

Creelman, James, 79. 



Davidson, Olivia, 49, 66. 
Denmark, Washington's visit to, 

127. 
Douglass, Frederick, 76, 82, 105. 

Education of negro, effect of, 90- 
91; future of, 104; negro educa- 
tion after Civil War, 22; Wash- 
ington's idea of, 91-93, 98, 103. 

Eliot, President C. W., 67. 

"Emancipation Proclamation," 8. 

"Entitles," 9. 

Europe, Washington's trips to, 
1 19-128. 

Extension work of Tuskegee, 100. 

Farm, purchase of, 50-51. 
"Festivals," 54. 
Freedmen's Bureau, 90. 

Gifts to Tuskegee, 54, 74-75. 

Hales' Ford, Washington's birth- 
place, 3. 

Hampton Institute, 15, 17, 20, 
22-23, 26-27, 29-30. t,2, 34. 

Harvard University, 82. 

Holland, Washington's visit to, 
122. 

Howard, Captain, conductor on 
the W. and A. R. R., 139. 

Howell, Clark, editor of Atlanta 
Constitution, 81. 

Huntington, Collis P., 71. 

Indians, at Hampton Institute, 
41-42. 

Jamestown, 1-2. 

Jones, Judge George, 114. 

"Learning with the Hands," 108. 
"Library," Washington's first, 17. 



145 



146 



INDEX 



Library, Carnegie, 72. 
Lincoln, President, 7, 118. 
London, Washington's visit to, 
124. 

Mackie, Mary F., 24, 77. 
McKinley, President, 106, 113. 
Macon County, Ala., 46, 48, 90. 
Madison, Wis., speech at, 77. 
Maiden, W. Va., 9-10, 12, 14, 17, 

29, 34, 37, 126. 

"Man Farthest Down," 127. 

Marriages, Washington's, 65, 131— 
132. 

Master of Arts degree, 82. 

Morgan, S. Griffitts, 28. 

Mother, Washington's, 3, 10, 30. 

Moton, R. R., successor to Wash- 
ington, 139. 

Murray, Margaret, 132. 

"My Larger Education," 108. 

Name, Washington's change of, 9. 

National Council of Congrega- 
tional Churches, 142. 

Negro, 15, 18, 22, 37, 41, 56, 59- 
60, 77-78, 80, 82, 85, 106, 108- 
110, 126. 

Negro Bar Association, no. 

Negro Business League, National, 
109. 

Negro Funeral Directors' Associ- 
ation, no. 

Negro Press Association, no. 

New Haven, Conn., 142. 

Newspapers, contributions to, 107. 

Night school, 35, 43. 

Paris, Washington's visit to, 123. 

Peabody Fund, 75. 

"Plucky Class," 43. 

Politics, Washington's interest 

in, 38. 
Porter Hall, 62, 68. 

"Quarters," 3. 

Rogers, H. H., 71, 91, 138. 
Roosevelt, President, 113-115. 
Rosenwald, Julius, 74. 
RufTner, General Lewis, 16. 
Ruffner, Mrs., 16-17. 



School, first, taught by Wash- 
ington, 34. 

Scott, Emmett J., 114. 

Shaw, Robert Gould, 85. 

Slater Fund, 75. 

Smith, Fannie M., 65. 

South, condition of, after the 
Civil War, 22. 

Stanley, Sir Henry M., 124. 

Story-teller, Washington as a, 

84-85. 
Students, first, at Tuskegee, 49- 

50. 
Students' work at Tuskegee, 61. 

Taft, President, 115. 

Tanner, Henry O., 123. 

Tuskegee, town of, 46, 143. 

Tuskegee Institute: beginnings of, 
46-47; Carnegie Library at, 72; 
character of students of, 49- 
50; commencement exercises of, 
93-94; extension work of, 100; 
first buildings of, 50-5 1 ; first 
year of, 54-55; growth of, 101; 
laying corner stone of, 59-60; 
negro conferences at, no; open- 
ing of, 49. 

"Up from Slavery," 108. 

Vessel, unloading, in Richmond, 

19. 
Virginia, 1, 14. 

Washington, Booker T., Atlanta 
speech, 78-82; birth, 3; books 
by, 108; character of, vii-viii, 
134; children of, 131; coal mine 
experiences, 12; commencement 
speaker, 32; contributor to 
press, 108; death of, 143; early 
life of, 4-6; education, his ideas 
of, 60-61, 91-93, 98, 103; 
"examination" at Hampton, 
25; founds Tuskegee, 46-51; 
home life, 129-134; hotel waiter, 
employed as, 34; janitor, works 
as, 26-27, 29; journey to Hamp- 
ton, 17-18; last illness of, 
142; leader of race, 82, 105; 
league, organizer of, 109; life at 



INDEX 



147 



Hampton, 27-30; marriages 
of, 65, 1 31-132; Master of Arts 
degree, 82; names himself, 11- 
12; orator, makes a reputation 
as, 70, 76, 82-86; personal ap- 
pearance, 80; politics, takes an 
interest in, 112, 11 5-1 16; raising 
money, 67; service, his ideas of, 
88-89; Shaw Monument speech, 
85; story-teller, as a, 84-85; 



teacher at Hampton, 40, 44; 

teacher at Maiden, 34; trips to 

Europe, 1 19-128; vacations, 

while a student, 29-30. 
Washington, Booker T. Jr., 131. 
Washington, Davidson, 131. 
Washington, John, 5, 35. 
Washington, Portia, 66. 
Wayland Seminary, 36. 
Wheeling, West Virginia, 37. 







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